The Mastermind

"I, I don't want to go bald!"

Yezi clutched her head and shouted. At this moment, An Shiyu had turned into a great demon in Little Yezi's eyes.

To be precise, she was an indescribable fish.

Unable to resist, unable to target.

"Then give me a few strands of your hair, and I won’t shave my head either," An Shiyu said, reaching out toward Yezi.

"Just a few strands will do?" Yezi blinked her eyes.

"Going bald would be better."

One sentence from An Shiyu terrified Yezi into quickly pulling out her hair. After handing over three or four strands, she couldn’t help but add a pitiful,

"Thank you."

An Shiyu pinched the strands of hair and glanced back at Ye Shuang behind her.

The meaning was obvious.

She still has to thank us.

Ye Shuang: "..."

Poor little Yezi.

...

When work ended, Ye Shuang planned to send Yezi home first before heading to the Chen residence.

After all, he needed to learn more about that Madam Jinsha situation. On top of that, Chen's Father had apparently visited the Zhou family as well. Ye Shuang didn't know the specifics, so he had to go to the Chens' to ask.

His visits to the Chen residence had become more frequent, and even the security guards no longer stopped him. After all, there were only a few estates inside, and there were few vehicles coming and going.

By now, it was dusk, just about time for dinner.

After parking the car, Ye Shuang casually grabbed some fruit from the vehicle and got out.

"Woof!" The first to greet him was still Salty Egg, the golden retriever. Though he was an old dog, thanks to annual checkups and dedicated care, he still looked spirited, showing no signs of aging at all.

"You sure run fast." Ye Shuang ruffled the golden retriever’s head. The dog stuck out its tongue, grabbed the handle of the bag, wagged its tail, and helped carry the fruit inside.

"A-Ye—"

Chen Qin's voice followed soon after. She was wearing a simple dress and sandals, hurrying over. "Hehe, you're finally here! Were you tired today?"

As she spoke, she walked behind Ye Shuang and helped massage his shoulders.

"Just sitting in the office isn't tiring if I don't have to run around." Ye Shuang gently patted the back of Chen Qin's hand and asked, "Where are Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen?"

"Inside," Chen Qin said, reaching out to link her arm with Ye Shuang's. She even sniffed the scent on him.

"You smell so good, A-Ye. Why are you so fragrant?"

"Alright, don't act like this at home." Seeing Chen Qin behaving like a flirt, Ye Shuang stopped her movements in time.

Just then, Chen's Mother walked out, though fortunately, she didn't see her daughter practically clinging to Ye Shuang.

"Shuangzai, perfect timing—we're about to eat. Was work tough today?"

"Not really, nothing compared to Chen Qin's hard work," Ye Shuang replied with a smile.

"It wasn't that hard either. Mom locked me up for days," Chen Qin chimed in, acting like she'd found an ally. She hugged Ye Shuang's arm and pouted. "I just wanted to sit in the company for a bit, but she wouldn't let me."

"If I didn't lock you up, who knows if you'd run off to work again," Chen's Mother said, exasperated, reaching out to tap Chen Qin's head. But Chen Qin dodged with a giggle, hiding behind Ye Shuang.

Seeing Chen Qin's playful look, Ye Shuang gently patted her arm and asked Chen's Mother, "Where's Uncle?"

"Inside with Chen Hai. Come on in, the mosquitoes are bad out here," Chen's Mother said. "We hired a pest control guy, but it didn't help much, and those mosquito repellent devices aren't working either."

"Alright."

Once inside, Ye Shuang soon saw Chen Hai and Chen's Father. The two were sitting together, seemingly discussing something.

With their furrowed brows, it was clear they had run into some trouble.

Taking a look, Ye Shuang noticed a tablet in front of each of them.

Was it because of that woman?

Ye Shuang walked over, just in time to hear Chen Hai shout, "Checkmate!"

"No way, no way—let me take back that move!" Chen's Father immediately said.

"How can you do that? A gentleman's move is not taken back."

"I'm your father!"

Ye Shuang stood to the side: "..."

So that's what it was?

Ye Shuang realized then that the two were just playing chess on the tablet. Their earlier serious, contemplative expressions had actually fooled him.

"Hey, Shuangzai, you're here. Wash up and come eat," Chen's Father called out to him.

"Alright, coming," Ye Shuang replied. He glanced at Chen Hai but didn't rush to ask for details. Instead, he went to wash his hands, planning to chat once they sat down for dinner.

Dinner was fairly plentiful, a simple eight-dish spread. Ye Shuang, however, wasn't in a hurry to eat. As he peeled prawns for Chen Qin, he finally asked Chen's Father and Chen Hai about their visit to the Zhou family.

"How's Uncle Zhou doing over there?"

"Hmph, a complete wreck," Chen's Father snorted. "Some foreigner messed him up so badly he's acting like he's lost his mind."

"His house was bugged with cameras—think about it. How useless, even the butler wasn't one of his own."

Shaking his head, Chen's Father added, "He drove his wife and daughter away—what a failure."

Chen Hai also chimed in with Ye Shuang, "We actually found quite a bit of info on that woman. She seems to have a lot of businesses abroad, with ties behind many big families and corporations."

"That impressive," Ye Shuang said, somewhat surprised. "Her reach is that long. What does she want?"

"A crazy woman—who knows?" Chen's Father snorted. "Zhou Feng said she just finds it fun to mess around, so that's what she does."

Fun?

"I don't know. That's what Zhou Feng said," Chen's Father added. "He said she's mentally unstable."

"Even if it's just for fun, how could she have given birth to Alice with Uncle Zhou?" Ye Shuang found it puzzling. Was she that casual?

"Oh, that little blonde was apparently born via surrogacy," Chen Hai said. "Uncle Zhou probably never slept with that woman."

"Is that for real?" Ye Shuang was taken aback. Was Alice born via surrogacy?

"Yeah, it should be fine."

After all, Zhou Feng himself had admitted this—there was no reason to hide it.

"If Aunt Xian was already planning to divorce Uncle Zhou over this, why didn't he just explain it back then?" Ye Shuang was puzzled. Aunt Xian had mainly been upset about Alice being the child of a mistress.

"It's not that simple. Who knows what Zhou Feng was thinking when he agreed to Madam Jinsha's request back then," Chen's Father waved his hand dismissively. "If she dares to lay a finger on my side, when she comes to the mainland, I'll definitely give her a hard time."

Ye Shuang, meanwhile, was thinking about the kidnapping of Bai Yuyou. If that was the case, the mastermind was indeed that Madam Jinsha.

But since she was abroad, it was indeed a bit tricky to handle.