Chapter 29: How to Deal with He Xiaohe

Xing Haotian followed Wei Zi into the house and set the breakfast on the table. Wei Zi went upstairs, took a shower, and changed into the white gauze dress she had decided on the day before before heading back down.

The dress suited her perfectly, lending a touch of ethereal beauty to her already stunning appearance. Xing Haotian could not take his eyes off her. He felt that in all his twenty-plus years, no woman had ever captured his attention like this. Looking at Wei Zi, he felt as though he could never get enough of her; he wanted to see her every single day.

Wei Zi had a petite frame, yet she was well-endowed, and the dress accentuated her soft curves and slender waist—one that seemed small enough to be encircled by a single hand. The skirt flared out to just below her knees, revealing calves as delicate and smooth as white porcelain. Xing Haotian could almost recall the cool, silky sensation of her skin.

"Eat!" Wei Zi sat down and said, her tone slightly displeased. Xing Haotian snapped out of his trance and took the seat opposite her.

The breakfast was prepared to the highest standard, even surpassing the lotus seed porridge from the previous night. Having accepted his hospitality, Wei Zi refrained from giving him any further cold looks at the table.

After the meal, before Xing Haotian could strike up a conversation, the doorbell rang. Wei Zi immediately fled upstairs; she did not want anyone to see her in Xing Haotian’s home and invite misunderstandings, especially since she was still trying to rid herself of his entanglements.

Xing Haotian went to the door, and as expected, it was Ming Zeyu.

"Brother Xing, I’ve finished investigating the background of that man from yesterday!" Ming Zeyu went straight to the point, laying all the evidence before him.

Although Xing Haotian had killed the man, the fact that an ordinary person had attempted to attack an Awakened—and a newly-adult, protected one at that—was a grave crime. Moreover, as an Awakened held immunity for killing, no one dared to challenge Xing Haotian for taking the life of a commoner.

Ming Zeyu had uncovered everything: He Xu’s background, the weapon used, and the recording He Xu had kept as his ace in the hole. For a colonel, this was a trivial task—he could have had his subordinates handle it, but he had overseen the investigation personally. Furthermore, he had conducted a thorough investigation into Wei Zi as well.

"That’s the situation. Now, because Wei Zi has become an Awakened, her stepmother feared she would threaten her inheritance, so she hired a killer," Ming Zeyu explained. Of course, he had no way of knowing about Wei Dongming’s prior attempts to persecute her, so he only mentioned He Xiaohe.

"So this is the trouble she spoke of? The reason she needs my protection?" Xing Haotian looked over the files on Wei Zi, his heart burning with rage, though it was eclipsed by a deep sense of pity.

She was still half a month away from her true adulthood. Yet, since the age of ten, she had lost her mother, lived with a father who didn't care for her, and was forced to work just to feed herself due to her stepmother’s cruelty. The file revealed a pitiful, exceptionally fragile side of Wei Zi that he had never seen before.

If possible, Xing Haotian wanted to kill He Xiaohe right then and there to avenge Wei Zi. However, family matters were notoriously difficult to judge. While He Xiaohe was detestable and deserved to die, he could provide the evidence or have her dealt with in the shadows, but he could not act openly. There was still the matter of Wei Dongming.

The man was not a good father, but despite his faults, he was still Wei Zi’s father—his future father-in-law, whom he was expected to respect. As long as the man treated Wei Zi well in the future, it would be fine. If not, he wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson.

Xing Haotian respected Wei Zi’s choices and would wait to see what she wanted to do. The evidence was all there; whether to kill or punish was entirely up to her.

"Brother Xing, should I have the judicial department arrest He Xiaohe?" Ming Zeyu asked.

"No, I want to ask Wei Zi for her opinion first," Xing Haotian replied.

"Very well," Ming Zeyu nodded. After all, it was a family matter, and outsiders rarely fared well meddling in such affairs.

Xing Haotian knocked on Wei Zi’s door. Upon hearing that the situation with He Xu had been resolved, a flash of coldness crossed her eyes, and she followed him downstairs.

As Ming Zeyu watched them approach, his gaze involuntarily fell upon Wei Zi. A flicker of amazement crossed his eyes; it was no wonder even Xing Haotian couldn't resist her—she was truly a rare beauty. However, he kept his appreciation purely aesthetic, not daring to have any ulterior motives. He knew the price of such folly—one only had to look at He Xu’s fate.

Xing Haotian introduced them, and Wei Zi shook Ming Zeyu’s hand politely. Ming Zeyu pulled away the moment contact was made; Xing Haotian was watching like a tiger, his possessiveness far too intense.

Wei Zi sat on the sofa, reviewing the files and listening to the recording repeatedly. She entered a state of deep focus, contemplating how best to punish He Xiaohe. Should she have her thrown in prison or executed? No, she wouldn't let her off that easily.

She had been disfigured and had struggled to survive for ten years—a decade that felt worse than death—yet she had persisted. She would make He Xiaohe live, too, but she would make her live a life far more miserable than her own.

He Xiaohe was vain and loved money; she would ensure she lost it all. This recording would become the root of He Xiaohe’s constant terror, making her worry every single day whether she would be arrested and taken away to be executed. A cold smile curled at the corners of Wei Zi’s lips. Her revenge had only just begun.

"Wei Zi, what do you intend to do?" Seeing the cold smile on her lips, Xing Haotian felt a pang of heartache. What kind of experiences could lead a young girl to harbor such hatred? The smile on her lips looked as if she were stepping onto a dark path, and he did not want that for her.

"General Xing, you agreed to what I asked for earlier, didn't you?" Wei Zi asked.

"I will agree to anything you ask," Xing Haotian replied quickly.

Ming Zeyu looked as if he had seen a ghost. What he was witnessing was clearly not the General Xing of the Huatian Kingdom, an S-class powerhouse, but a bootlicker chasing after a woman. He was truly impressed that the man could even say such things.

Wei Zi ignored the implications of Xing Haotian’s words and said, "I will stay here until my birthday. I need to hire a lawyer to discuss some matters. If it’s inconvenient for me to stay at the military compound, I hope you can provide me with a safe residence."

"This is the safest place there is; it’s not inconvenient at all!" Xing Haotian had no intention of letting her leave. After the assassination attempt by He Xu, he could not bear to go through such agony again. Besides, if Wei Zi left, he would have fewer excuses to see her, and she was likely still holding a grudge against him, which he absolutely did not want.

Having received the answer she wanted, Wei Zi returned to her room.

As Xing Haotian saw Ming Zeyu to the door, he said, "Ming Zeyu, thank you for your help this time."

"Brother Xing, you’re too kind. It seems the sister-in-law is quite hard to handle. If you need anything, just ask! I know a thing or two about women," Ming Zeyu said with a raised brow.

Xing Haotian remained non-committal. Even if he was inexperienced in matters of the heart, Ming Zeyu hardly had a good reputation. He was a playboy who sought fleeting encounters, while Xing Haotian was looking for a partner for life—the two were hardly the same.