But Cao Haoyue could not understand why the elder had to go on a personal trip to come and report? Most importantly, he didn't come to talk to her, instead he went to the main branch and talked to the Old Master.
No matter how you look at this, Cao Haoyue could not help but feel nervous in front of the Old Master, wishing Elder Liao won't say anything that would ruin her image in front of her uncle.
Although she hated that her father lost her uncle when the inheritance from their grandfather was handed over, Cao Haoyue still needed to show respect to this man so her second branch could live in peace and prominently.
Showing a bit of her hesitation on the surface, Cao Haoyue bit her lips as she said, "Although I'm delighted to be in the presence of both uncle and Elder Liao, I can't seem to understand why I'm here?"
She thought that Old Master Cao would still remain silent and let Xue Zhao talk, but this time, Old Master Cao opened his lips and stared at her with a profound gaze.
Old Master Cao: "You don't know?"
Cao Haoyue felt uncomfortable: "...Yes?"
Old Master Cao smiled mysteriously as he asked, "But you know An Hun?"
Thud!
Cao Haoyue heard her heart banging inside her chest as she fell in the trap that the Old Master Cao created for her.
"This… I do know them. Actually, it was Sister Huiling who told me about the organization," Cao Haoyue revealed and tried to bring Cao Huiling forward as a shield.
Old Master Cao narrowed his eyes as he could read her intentions very clearly. However, he didn't criticize her because he knew that Cao Haoyue was telling the truth.
His daughter, Cao Huiling, was too smart and outstanding, how could she not know about An Hun? Besides, if his assumption was correct, Cao Huiling wanted to use this method to reduce Cao Haoyue into a small backdrop to make herself even brighter.
If everything goes well, Cao Haoyue would have spent a lot of money from the second branch.
Old Master Cao naturally won't interfere with his daughter's business and relationship. What she does to her cousins and siblings doesn't matter since if they had the strength, that only means that they can have the qualification to become his heir.
But An Hun's Elder Liao was an anomaly no one had ever expected to appear.
His presence alone in the Cao family's main mansion became a problem.
"Alright, don't panic. I'm just asking because Elder Liao's junior disappeared. He came here to talk about him and ask you if you had seen him." Old Master Liao sighed and glanced over at Elder Liao to observe the expression on his face.
But no matter how profound and observant he was, he could not read Elder Liao.
Cao Haoyue was even more confused and nervous.
"J-junior? What do you mean?"
Elder Liao turned his body to face her and coldly said, "My junior, who I wanted to adopt as my son disappeared after he took upon your request. I just want to know if he contacted you. If he didn't, tell me what you told him to do without hiding anything from me. Or else, the price of lying and deceiving An Hun would be something that even the Cao family can't handle."
Old Master Cao frowned and narrowed his eyes at him: "This thing doesn't have anything to do with the Cao family but a junior in the second branch. Please, Elder Liao, you should be careful with your words."
Old Master Cao was trying to separate this matter from the main branch, pushing everything on top of the heads of the second branch.
But how could Elder Liao not know his intentions? Just because the second branch did it, the main branch was then unrelated? Didn't he hear Cao Haoyue say that it was his daughter who recommended An Hun to her?
If Cao Huiling did not recommend An Hun to Cao Haoyue, there would be no request nor would Xiaoshun disappear without a trace.
Elder Liao sneered and replied: "Old Master Cao, please do not worry about me or what I say. This is the reality and fact, and I am merely reminding you of what would happen if you offended An Hun."
Of course, Old Master Cao knew this. As a man who had lived for several days already, he naturally can't deny the fact that every person and organization who tried to go against An Hun did not end well. Their ranking worldwide and in the country was nothing to laugh at nor to joke about.
Even the Song family had to show respect to them, what about the Cao family?
Old Master Cao didn't want to offend An Hun, but he also could not allow himself to bow down to them.
Then, what could be done?
"What are you doing? Aren't you going to tell us what you told Elder Liao's junior to do?" Old Master Cao lost his patience towards Cao Haoyue and glared at her.
Honestly, he could not wait to chew her up then let her be buried in the dust after this matter is solved.
Cao Haoyue was scared witless at the Old Master's glare and overwhelming pressure. But there was no way out of this so she could only bite the gun and told them what she requested of Xiaoshun.
Originally, Elder Liao only knew about the request letter of a task ordering them to eliminate someone. However, the process and detail of the client's intentions were not asked nor given. It was to provide privacy to the clients.
Besides, the less they know, the better. They didn't need to handle the rest.
That was why Elder Liao only knew that Cao Haoyue requested An Hun to eliminate someone. And it was Xiaoshun who got the task.
However, because of his disappearance, Elder Liao broke this rule to find out where he had gone before he disappeared. But only got nothing.
Cao Haoyue licked her lips in an attempt to wet her lips and darted her eyes around as she told them what happened: "I only asked him to eliminate someone for me. That someone is a celebrity who is extremely popular today. Her name is Ran Xueyi, you must have heard about her, right?"
Old Master Cao frowned and Xue Zhao stepped towards him and whispered something to him. His eyes widened as he said, "The lady who appeared beside that bastard of Song Ruan?"
Cao Haoyue was glad that he knew her and nodded.
Elder Liao also knew who Ran Xueyi was but not because he wanted to, but because she was the specific target to be eliminated under the request of Cao Haoyue.
"I originally wanted to have him investigate and monitor her. Then, scare her a bit so that she won't be too arrogant and confident. I don't want her to have the idea that a lowly celebrity like her can just enter our world just because she hangs on Song Yu Han's thighs."
"However, Sister Huiling told me that it would be better to just have her killed so that there will be less trouble. Even if I scare her away, Song Yu Han would only become a trouble for us if he finds out about what I did. So, I requested from An Hun for someone to kill her…"
"But I didn't think that… that he disappeared."
Cao Haoyue now felt so thirsty after talking for so long and without a stop. She glanced hesitantly at Elder Liao before she fearfully added, "Are you sure he disappeared? And not because he ran away?"
Bang!
Old Master Cao slapped his palm against the surface of his desk and glared at Cao Haoyue, this stupid woman.
Cao Haoyue shivered even more but as if she was possessed, her mouth didn't stop asking: "I'm not wrong to think like this. How can an adult person suddenly disappear without a trace? Even a missing person would leave one or two tracks, but he didn't? Is that even possible?"
Actually, her words were not without logic. The world has advanced so much that it has become easier to find people. Besides, there were so many people who could have seen what happened even if it was only in passing. There are also phones and the internet.
Why did Xiaoshun disappear but left no tracks at all?
Is he a ghost or what?
Elder Liao's face became too dark and ugly to look at. His body was tense, but not because he was afraid or agitated, he was burning with rage but didn't know where to focus them.
However, Cao Haoyue's words were not something that could be said out loud. And absolutely not in front of Elder Liao.
An Hun lost one member and the Cao family was the last to be in contact with Xiaoshun…
They can only pray that they won't pursue this matter too heavily and they will let this matter go.
Elder Liao might have done that and looked elsewhere to find Xiaoshun, but Cao Haoyue's words became a trigger. What's more, Old Master Cao didn't stop her and he clearly wanted to shirk from his responsibility as the head of the family.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m