Chapter 312 - Xiong De's worries
Aside from the formal Xiong's banquet, it was very rare for the Xiong family and the Zhou family to participate in a gathering. However, this year was a bit different. They met their family members more than twice, so this year was such a special year. There were quiet murmurs around as members of the two families met up to chitchat.
Xiong De and Xiong Bilan was having such a 'chitchat'.
"I didn't expect that you would easily switch sides once the official heir was announced. How surprising to know that you are such an expert bootlicker," Xiong De said in a joking manner to Xiong Bilan, very ironic to the insulting words coming from his mouth. However, for some reason, his face appeared somewhat pale and there were dark circles under his eyes.
Xiong Bilan chuckled. "Well, at least I am on a good side. How about you? As your older brother, I am quite afraid that you are walking on a downhill slope." Xiong Bilan pointedly stared at Xiong Wuyue who was in turn glaring daggers at the Young Miss.
He chuckled again. "It must be difficult, having a pig teammate that you can't drop."
The esteemed Young Miss seemed to sense their gazes. She faintly turned her head and gave them a fleeting glance. Her cold stare stopped for a while at the father and daughter pair, Xiong De and Xiong Wuyue, before moving it to Xiong Bilan.
Xiong Bilan smiled at her as greeting. The girl nodded her head in return and retrieved her gaze.
Xiong De noticed something in this short interaction. He furrowed his brow. When did these two get along so well? He was uneasy for a moment. However, with the thought that they would soon have the Xiong Empire in the future with the help of Guan Gao Huan, Xiong De uneasiness faded a bit.
Even if Xiong Bilan allied himself with Xiong Zhi, his brother could still not take away the Xiong Empire by just using the heiress alone.
What bothered Xiong De the most was the failed mission to humiliate his niece.
It was a failure, through and through. They could not even get hold of anything to start with her reputation.
Even the school staff and the other students did not notice anything amiss. When he inquired, it appeared that Xiong Zhi was always on time with the two-hour interval of contact with the school. Even the fact that Xiong Zhi did not return with them was covered as well, with Jang Shin and Song Xuantin testifying that Xiong Zhi got bored halfway and decided to head off first with some company. It was not unusual as some students decided to stay behind to explore some more and some left by themselves or with friends.
When Xiong De wanted to get proof from the monitoring that Linfeng had violated the command to not come near the Young Miss, he found out that the monitoring never showed Xiong Zhi and Linfeng in the same frame. The monitoring appeared untampered. If he personally did not send such a mission and thus became aware that Linfeng was with Xiong Zhi, he would be convinced by it.
Thus, the mission was a total failure.
He was confident that it would not be traced back to him. However, he could not ease his worries as he could not find the two missing men. According to Guan Gao Huan's butler, it was Linfeng who rescued the Young Miss that time. It was also Linfeng's men who took the two men and hid them in god knows where.
Xiong De already deployed missions to silence the two. However, the group of men who took them was like a bunch of ghosts appearing and disappearing out of thin air. They could not find their trace.
Whose men were they? Xiong De did not believe that those men were under Linfeng.
Someone great was surely backing the young butler.
He looked at the young man sitting alone, isolated from everyone.
Xiong De also suspected that it was the Old Xiong's doing at first. However, if Old Xiong knew that he plotted such a scheme to harm another of the Xiong family, with or without evidence, Old Xiong would have summoned him and given him punishment. Worst, he might even be expelled from the family.
But he spent the week peacefully. No summon came, no investigations. He was not even followed. It was calm and quiet to the point that it terrified him a bit.
For sure, the Young Miss who suffered such trauma would not let it pass so easily, would she? What was she planning? What was the great person behind her rescuers planning?
It was rare for Xiong De to have such a failure. He had a habit that when he failed on a scheme so terribly, he would not be able to sleep peacefully until the problem was solved. The calm before the storm ate him. This was why he got a terrible headache after the failure of Xiong Wuyue's birthday.
So, his complexion was not good.
His already wan face turned even uglier as he glanced at the Young Miss once more.
Xiong Bilan noticed. "It seems like you are not able to sleep nowadays. Poor you," Xiong Bilan mockingly said in a meaningful tone. He thought his brother was bothered by the aftermath of the previous legendary 'birthday fail' which even reached their ears abroad.
How he laughed at the thought of his brother's face at that time.
Xiong De thought that Xiong Bilan was pertaining to something else. His face faintly changed for a moment, and then he schooled his expression back to the usual smiling face. Was that mysterious person Xiong Bilan? After all, he suddenly got along with the Young Miss. He silently raised an alarm at the back of his mind.
"Just a light cold. No need for you to worry, elder brother. "
As the two exchanged daggers, the doors opened once more and Old Xiong entered the room. Butler Zhou was at his side.
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