Shadow and Light: The Bride Who Clicks Her Way to Love-Chapter 364 - 377: Exposed

The study was silent, with thick and soft carpet spread on the floor. The air carried only a faint scent of wood and ink.

Su Xingyu meticulously examined the bookshelves stretching all the way to the ceiling, over and over again, fearing she might miss something. But despite her efforts, she couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. If she weren’t certain that Ouyang Yi was interested in finance and yet there wasn’t a single finance book in the study, she would have thought that these fashion magazines were all there was.

She motivated herself to try again, thinking maybe she’d discover something on another attempt?

The result was still disappointing.

Just when she was hesitating whether to give up, her hand accidentally knocked a book off the shelf, revealing a small space behind it. She felt something was unusual about the space, unable to pinpoint what was wrong, but the depth of light reflections was different from other places—a sort of instinct a photographer might have.

Almost instinctively, she reached her hand inside.

Upon touch, she realized it wasn’t a wall as she’d expected, but another large, deeper space.

She didn’t know how big the space was, or where its entrance might be, her heart racing as if all secrets were within reach. Quickly, she removed all the books from the entire row of shelves, revealing a small switch in an inconspicuous area behind the shelves. Nervously, she pressed it.

The shelves beside her silently moved, sinking in and revealing a deep, dark void.

Gathering her courage, she stepped into the darkness.

Fumbling around, she turned on the lights. In the soft glow, she saw a vast space, larger than the study outside. The sunken steps indicated it was likely built underground. Here, she found a wealth of books on finance, not just magazines, but many complex professional tomes in various languages, several of which she couldn’t understand at all.

This, was Ouyang Yi’s real study.

She held her breath, puzzled as to why Ouyang Yi built his study so secretively?

Could it be that he really had some unspeakable secrets?

She walked forward bit by bit, browsing papers in rows of glass cabinets.

The more she looked, the more shocked she became.

Those complex financial books were just the outer layer; deeper inside were various reports written in Country F’s language. They encompassed the core secrets of the Feiying Steinway Group over decades: their financial, personnel, and technical information, and even a list detailing the complex power dynamics within the group—who fell under the eldest son’s influence, who under the third son.

Most astonishing to Su Xingyu was the dense star-like blue dots marked all over the aspects of the Feiying Group; these were Ouyang Yi’s own forces!

Judging by that personnel chart, his influence was not below the eldest son!

It far surpassed the third son she’d encountered in the desert!

What kind of ambition did he possess?!

Su Xingyu felt her heart racing, a slight sweat forming in her palms. It seemed she had stumbled upon an immense secret.

All along, she’d thought Ouyang Yi was just a small-time model. Even if he was wealthy and famous, it was only relative to ordinary people, nowhere near the legitimate heir of someone like Lu Shifeng.

But she was wrong, terribly wrong.

Ouyang Yi was a dangerous man.

His domain could even be called an empire!

No wonder he was able to locate Han immediately after he was kidnapped. In that case, even back four years ago, when Ouyang Yi learned Zhuang Heng planned to harm her, it was entirely possible for him to follow and rescue her!

That man, his schemes were deeply hidden.

Su Xingyu felt a chill deep in her heart. Over the years, what kind of person had she been associating with? 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Four years ago...

Four years ago...

She quickly flipped through the documents, looking for traces about the fire four years ago to see if Ouyang Yi was really involved. Finally, she found it—in an inconspicuous file, it recorded——

X month X day at X o’clock, a fire will occur at Lu Shifeng’s villa.

Attached were several paths for intrusion and escape after the fire.

And later when Ouyang Yi rescued her, he used one of them!

Su Xingyu’s heart sank. Lu Shifeng was right; Ouyang Yi knew about the incident back then!

How cruel he was, watching her struggle in the fear of disfigurement and death, then descending like a hero to save her at her most despairing, making her have feelings for him!

That man’s intentions were terrifyingly cold.

Although he did save her, which was much better than leaving her alone to perish in the flames, Su Xingyu’s heart still felt cold. What kind of monstrous heart would look on as their "beloved" agonized in a fire scene?

If she were by herself, she might forgive him.

But now she had Han. Han was her life’s treasure, and she couldn’t bear the thought of Han facing danger someday and wondering what Ouyang Yi would do. Han wasn’t his biological son; would he watch cheerfully as Han died?

The more she thought, the more uneasy she felt, and she turned to run out, wanting only to take Han and leave.

But as soon as she turned, it felt as if her blood had frozen.

She saw a man standing quietly behind her, not knowing how long he’d been there, silently watching her like a ghost.—Ouyang Yi, Ouyang Yi had returned.

The soft lighting of the study cascaded over him, making him appear somewhat ethereal.

In the silent underground study, such an ethereal presence frightened her, not like her usual self at all.

She cautiously retreated, her face turning pale.

He still looked at her quietly, his beautiful, watery peach blossom eyes filled with a trace of a smile: "What are you afraid of, Xingyu."

His voice was gentle, almost like a whisper.

But it made her feel even colder inside, retreating step by step, until she reached the wall, with nowhere left to go. She faintly said, "Don’t come near. Were you involved in Zhuang Heng’s arson back then?"

Ouyang Yi’s beautiful eyes lightly glanced at the documents she had scattered on the floor and laughed, "Seems you’ve found out. Xingyu, forgive me. I had my difficulties back then. If I didn’t let you go through such life and death situations, completely giving up on Lu Shifeng, how could you remain by my side?"

"Your heart is so cruel." She touched her disfigured cheek, realizing that the burns had both Zhuang Heng’s and his share!

"Cruel?" Ouyang Yi stepped closer, still gentle, "Perhaps. But Xingyu, I promise you, that was the only time; it will never happen again. I love you. Now, after invading this study and seeing my layout, sooner or later, I will own the entire Feiying Steinway Family. Then, you will become the rightful Stanway Family’s lady, and everything Lu Shifeng gave you, I can give you—and more."

She shook her head, "Don’t come near."