Su Muxian, having finally secured the opportunity she had fought for, felt a sliver of her anxiety dissipate and immediately began to explain her thoughts and plans to the man.
Meanwhile, Ye Tiancheng had already arrived at their temporary residence. Upon returning home, he found Hou Mingzhu there, as expected.
Seeing Ye Tiancheng and his group of three return, Hou Mingzhu greeted them, "You're back? Was everything smooth? Why did you return later than expected? Did something happen?"
Ye Tiancheng and the other two exchanged glances. When Hou Mingzhu didn't receive an immediate response and saw their reaction, she immediately pressed, "Did something really happen?"
Not wanting Hou Mingzhu to worry too much, Ye Tiancheng quickly replied, "Overall, it went smoothly. We managed to acquire the Fuxi Qin fragment. However, there was a minor unexpected incident, which caused a slight delay."
Hou Mingzhu then asked Ye Tiancheng, "What exactly happened? What went wrong?"
Seeing this, Ye Tiancheng knew he had to explain clearly. He turned to Hou Mingzhu and said, "It's like this. As the auction ended, we spotted Su Muxian in the general seating area. We intended to avoid her, but unexpectedly, Su Muxian intercepted us outside the auction hall."
Hou Mingzhu felt a pang of displeasure at the mention of this person. She was aware of Ye Tiancheng's past with Su Muxian. Although Ye Tiancheng was now with her, Hou Mingzhu couldn't entirely put aside her feelings.
If she hadn't been reminded, it would have been one thing, but with the topic brought up, Hou Mingzhu couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
Noticing Ye Tiancheng's explanation, Hou Mingzhu narrowed her eyes and suddenly asked, "Su Muxian deliberately blocked you?"
Fatty, overhearing the exchange between Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu, sensed that Hou Mingzhu's emotions were not quite right. Fearing she might misunderstand Ye Tiancheng, he quickly explained to her, "Sister-in-law, please don't misunderstand Brother Ye. Brother Ye truly has nothing going on with that Miss Su anymore."
"Before we even left the auction venue, we saw Su Muxian, and we all intended to steer clear. However, we were cornered by Su Muxian outside the auction hall. Su Muxian insisted on speaking with Brother Ye privately, but Brother Ye refused."
"What's more, Brother Ye discovered that Su Muxian was acting very suspiciously. She deliberately investigated Brother Ye's itinerary and came to intercept him. In fact, Su Muxian was also present at the previous auction you and Sister-in-law attended, but perhaps because you were there, she didn't show herself."
"Later, she used the excuse of a past favor Ye Brother owed her, claiming it hadn't been resolved yet and hoping Brother Ye would help her. Brother Ye also found inconsistencies in her story and didn't agree to her request at all!"
Little Fox could see that Hou Mingzhu's feelings stemmed from her concern for Ye Tiancheng. While she was somewhat displeased, she hadn't reached the point of misunderstanding. However, seeing Fatty's earnest efforts to explain, Little Fox paused and then also spoke up in Ye Tiancheng's defense.
Little Fox added, "That's exactly right. Big Brother directly exposed Su Muxian, and Su Muxian could only retreat. However, she did seem very suspicious, possibly harboring some ulterior motive."
Hou Mingzhu looked at them, one after another, and couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, alright, you two, one after another, constantly defending him. You've said so much, and I haven't even said much else."
"Am I that petty? It's just that when something like this happens, I naturally want to clarify things."
The three men present nodded repeatedly, all agreeing that Hou Mingzhu was right.
When it was Ye Tiancheng's turn, he proactively began to explain to Hou Mingzhu, starting with her earlier questions.
Ye Tiancheng told Hou Mingzhu, "I expressed my suspicion of Su Muxian and asked her for an explanation. Su Muxian herself said that she had deliberately investigated our itinerary and followed us."
Hou Mingzhu nodded and asked Ye Tiancheng, "Then tell me what happened. Why was she so insistent on speaking with you privately? And what did she want you to help with?"
Hou Mingzhu's demeanor was calm. After Fatty and Little Fox had done so much to defend Ye Tiancheng, any lingering doubts she might have had were now largely dispelled. Her suspicion naturally shifted towards Su Muxian.
She pondered, knowing how much Su Muxian liked Ye Tiancheng. Anyone could see it.
Previously, Su Muxian had even collaborated with her to help Ye Tiancheng, traveling a great distance. Anyone with eyes could understand Su Muxian's feelings.
However, under these circumstances, Hou Mingzhu couldn't understand what other intentions Su Muxian could have towards Ye Tiancheng.
This was clearly not normal. Little Fox had mentioned a possible ulterior motive, and Hou Mingzhu, being sharp, wouldn't attribute it to romantic rivalry. If it were about that, Ye Tiancheng wouldn't have found Su Muxian suspicious.
Therefore, there must be something else unusual.
Ye Tiancheng replied to Hou Mingzhu, "I'll give you a general idea."
"When we encountered Su Muxian, she stated she had something very important to discuss with me privately. I refused, saying that everyone present was one of us and she could speak freely. But Su Muxian was very insistent, repeatedly trying to do so no matter how I refused."
"She even proposed that she didn't mind if you were present and said that if I agreed, you could also be there to listen."
"I found this clearly abnormal. To believe Su Muxian lacked such basic social awareness would be unbelievable. She clearly had other motives, and I certainly wouldn't bring you to meet her. What if she had designs on you and deliberately did something to you? That wouldn't do."
Ye Tiancheng paused and continued, "Later, seeing that I was unwilling to agree, Su Muxian brought up the matter of assistance. As for what she wanted my help with, do you remember that time you brought me back because of your daughter's health?"
"It was after that incident that Su Muxian suddenly approached us and deliberately provoked you. It was regarding that matter she requested our help with."
"Su Muxian said that the matter hadn't been resolved yet and that she had no other recourse, which is why she came to me, hoping I could help."
With Ye Tiancheng's reminder, Hou Mingzhu immediately recalled the relevant incident. Although some time had passed, Hou Mingzhu could clearly remember the situation at the time.
Hou Mingzhu nodded and said, "I remember. Wasn't that matter resolved by you? Then why did Su Muxian seem fine afterwards, and why did she suddenly appear now?"
Even Hou Mingzhu could tell that something was amiss.
Ye Tiancheng continued, "That matter wasn't entirely resolved, because the person who helped at the time failed in their methods and suffered a backlash. Later, didn't I trouble you to help take care of her family?"
"It's just that there were other unusual circumstances that diverted our attention, and Su Muxian herself didn't mention it again. If she was still troubled by it, the issue was overlooked by everyone."
Hou Mingzhu was suddenly startled, finding it even more suspicious. "Then Su Muxian... and then what?"
Ye Tiancheng replied, "The most abnormal part is this. Based on our analysis, we all believed that the entity with ill intentions towards Su Muxian was likely Ouyang Xuxu, who hadn't given up on Su Muxian and wanted to enter into a ghost marriage with her, to have Su Muxian accompany him in the afterlife."
"And regardless of whether that person was Ouyang Xuxu, one thing was abundantly clear: the one who acted against Su Muxian did not require Su Muxian's consent. They were desperate to achieve this goal, even if it meant killing Su Muxian directly."
"In such a situation, and given that we hadn't paid attention to Su Muxian's side for so long, if the other party was still plotting against Su Muxian, then it would be very strange."
Hou Mingzhu also understood and said hesitantly to Ye Tiancheng, "This is indeed very abnormal. It's too strange."
"If the other party was still targeting Su Muxian and hadn't given up on her, and Su Muxian didn't have your protection, she would have surely met an unfortunate end long ago. But if Su Muxian was safe because she had invited someone else to help, then there would be no need for her to seek you out with such a flimsy excuse!"
Ye Tiancheng said, "Exactly. There are too many suspicious points, making it truly hard to believe. Setting aside other aspects, if it were truly a matter of life and death, I wouldn't stand idly by. But with such strange circumstances, it's really difficult to believe Su Muxian."
There were too many suspicious points, and from any angle, it made no sense. Hou Mingzhu understood clearly that if she were in Ye Tiancheng's position, she would also find it hard to believe Su Muxian.
Hou Mingzhu knew that Ye Tiancheng was not someone who was cold and heartless. After all, it was a human life, and Ye Tiancheng would certainly not ignore it, even without considering other factors, unless Su Muxian was an enemy.
So, why was Su Muxian so insistent on meeting Ye Tiancheng privately? What could she gain from doing so?
Could it be... that behind this Su Muxian, there was someone else hidden?
Or perhaps, was this person truly Su Muxian herself?