I Became the Eye Candy: Four Bigshots Claimed to be My Dad?-Chapter 55: Caught Tailing Late at Night
Late one night, Ye Qianning slipped past the guards and snuck out of the General’s manor. The streets were nearly empty in the dead of night as a lone figure darted through the darkness.
Before long, her target came into view. The maid had changed into a set of plain clothes with a light gauze wrap and was hurrying toward West Pavilion Street, the liveliest part of the Capital City at night.
West Pavilion Street was one of the Capital City’s famous nightscapes. It ran alongside the city moat, its banks lined with weeping willows and glowing lanterns, a place where scholars and cultured gentlemen reveled all night long.
Ye Qianning followed the woman onto West Pavilion Street. The woman stopped at one end of a bridge, looking around as if waiting for someone.
She wasn’t in a hurry, her chubby little frame hidden near the bridge. At her height, she could stand right in front of someone without drawing any attention.
"Aren’t you trying to catch her? Why don’t you just go up and grab her?" the bird on the bridge railing chirped, bobbing its head.
"You have to catch them in the act. Get it?" Ye Qianning said.
The bird chirped, not quite understanding. ’A few worms to stand guard for so many days... doesn’t seem like a good deal.’
Not far away, Zhan Chi was walking alongside someone. As soon as he rounded a corner, he immediately spotted the chubby little girl by the bridge. Suspicious, he glanced around but saw no one from the General’s manor.
’What is a little girl doing on West Pavilion Street this late at night?’
For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Zhan Chi walked toward the little girl.
Ye Qianning heard footsteps and turned to see the lavishly dressed Zhan Chi. Her brow furrowed slightly, and she looked away.
"What are you doing here?" Zhan Chi stood before her, looking down at the little girl who barely reached his thigh. ’This kid has been making quite a name for herself lately.’
"None of your business," Ye Qianning said, her little hand playing with the bird.
Seeing her hand, the bird nuzzled its tiny head against her fingertips.
Zhan Chi was taken aback, and his expression soured. "The Capital City is full of traffickers," he threatened. "A little girl like you should get home before it’s too late."
"Traffickers might at least spare your life. Not like some people who are all looks on the outside but have a heart full of murder." Ye Qianning hadn’t forgotten the intense killing intent he’d shown last time.
If Xiang Minghou hadn’t acknowledged her, Zhan Chi probably wouldn’t have been able to contain his murderous aura.
"You...! Fine, I guess I was being nosy," Zhan Chi snorted and turned to leave.
Ye Qianning scoffed, her eyes fixed on the woman on the bridge. The woman’s gaze, in turn, was locked on a certain pavilion.
The pavilion was brightly lit. Suddenly, its lights flickered a few times. The woman at the bridge turned, descended from it, and headed toward the pavilion.
Zhan Chi hadn’t gone far when he happened to look back and see Ye Qianning scurrying forward, hunched over stealthily. She was surprisingly fast, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
...
The corner of his mouth twitched. ’Is it normal for a kid that chubby to be so agile?’
’Whatever. I’m done with her,’ he thought. ’It’d be good for that arrogant little girl to learn a lesson. West Pavilion Street at night is not as safe as it looks.’
Ye Qianning followed the woman to the bustling Eight Treasures Building. The sounds of music, singing, and laughter spilled out from within. ’Scholars and cultured gentlemen? Just a bunch of hedonists.’
The woman stood at the entrance, speaking with an attendant for a long time before finally being allowed into the Eight Treasures Building.
Ye Qianning started to follow, but a sudden force yanked her back.
"You dare go into the Eight Treasures Building?" Zhan Chi demanded, lifting the chubby little girl off her feet.
"Let go of me," Ye Qianning snapped, twisting her head to glare at him.
"Who are you following?" Zhan Chi demanded.
’He figured it out,’ Ye Qianning thought, panicking. ’If I don’t follow her now, the last few days will have been for nothing.’
"If you don’t tell me, I’ll drag you to Xiang Minghou and let him ask you personally." Zhan Chi had always felt something was off about this girl. Now that he finally had some leverage, he wasn’t about to let her go so easily.
