Sitting nearby, Bai Ci listened as Wu Suowei spoke. His words were logical and well-reasoned, blending truth and falsehood so seamlessly that he instantly calmed the anxious members of the Zhao family.
The man certainly had a way with words. By mixing half-truths, he revealed key clues while concealing the core doubts, easily manipulating the psychology of ordinary people.
Looking over at Wu Daoqing, who shared a similar class, she saw a mix of surprise and admiration written all over the rookie's face.
To evolve into a worldly, seasoned veteran, this kid still had a lot to learn.
Seeing that everyone was thoroughly convinced and the atmosphere was perfectly primed, Wu Suowei decided to strike while the iron was hot. He prepared to propose visiting and personally meeting Grandpa Yun.
As long as they could meet the old gentleman, they were bound to unearth some clues.
If they were lucky, they could examine his aura and energy from up close and gather other key information. That would push the main quest progress a big step forward and tear away the boss's final disguise.
But just as he was about to speak, the phone of Zhao Cunzhi, who sat at the head of the table, rang.
In the quiet dining hall, the sudden ringing of the phone was exceptionally loud.
Zhao Cunzhi paused. He had been about to decline the call, but upon seeing the caller ID, he raised a hand in a silent, apologetic gesture to the table.
“What is it?” he asked, answering in a low voice.
At first, Zhao Cunzhi's expression was calm. But as the person on the other end spoke, shock, bewilderment, and disbelief washed over his refined features, and his body went slightly rigid.
A moment later, he stood up abruptly, his voice rising as his emotions slipped out of control.
“What did you say?”
“Grandpa Yun passed away from a sudden illness?!”
“How is that possible? He was perfectly healthy just a few days ago! He was even taking a walk yesterday and sent us a video, looking so full of energy. How could he suddenly pass away from an acute illness?”
The peaceful dinner atmosphere shattered instantly. Everyone froze in unison, falling into a stunned, collective silence.
After the initial shock, some felt a heavy wave of grief.
Others, however, felt only frustration and impatience at the sudden disruption of their lead.
Grandpa Yun, who had just been identified as their prime suspect, had suddenly passed away at the exact moment they were planning to investigate him.
The timing was terrifyingly convenient.
Only Ou Li, whose mind had yet to register the solemn gravity of the moment, let her blunt frustration slip out first.
Without weighing her words at all, she muttered under her breath, “Why did he have to die right now of all times...”
Her words were far too blunt, completely devoid of tact. To the ears of the Zhao family, every syllable was incredibly jarring.
The two young children of the Zhao family at the table did not understand the underlying tension, and they merely stared at the adults in confusion.
However, the faces of the adults—Zhao Cunzhi and his wife, Zhao Cunhong, and Zhao Cunqiong—instantly darkened. Their cold gazes locked onto Ou Li.
Zhao Cunqiong, the youngest and most hot-tempered of the siblings, immediately frowned. With clear indignation and anger in her voice, she demanded, “What do you mean by that?”
“Grandpa Yun has just passed away, and our family is grieving, yet you only care about bad timing? What does an elder's life even mean to you?”
Ou Li froze. Realizing too late that her loose tongue had gotten her into trouble, she cursed her own stupidity.
She was genuinely just frustrated that their lead had been cut off so coincidentally and meant no malice whatsoever. However, trying to explain that now would only pour oil on the fire.
“Miss Zhao, I believe you may have misunderstood,” Wu Suowei spoke up smoothly, stepping in at the perfect moment. “From my interactions with Ms. Ou over the past day, she is by no means a cold or heartless person. I am sure she did not mean any malice.”
“I was just worried... because of our investigation today...” Having received a lifeline from Wu Suowei, Ou Li scrambled to explain, though she struggled to find the right words to salvage the situation.
Fortunately, for Wu Suowei, this half-finished sentence was more than enough.
In fact, a half-finished explanation was exactly what he needed to work his magic.
“I see. I understand your concern, Ms. Ou,” Wu Suowei said.
“You are worried about how dangerous the situation has become, aren't you? We spent the entire day investigating, and we just managed to uncover the core thread of the Zhao family's curse, tracing it back to past grievances.”
“Old Mr. Yun was of advanced age and had lived through several generations. He was the person most likely to know the family's secrets and help us identify the mastermind.”
“Yet, at the exact moment we uncovered these clues and prepared to verify them with him, the old gentleman suddenly passed away from an acute illness.”
Wu Suowei paused deliberately, lowering his voice to add a touch of grave speculation as he guided the Zhao family's thoughts in his intended direction. “This is definitely no coincidence.”
“The mastermind hiding in the shadows—the one who has cursed the Zhao family for generations—must have noticed our investigation and panicked.”
“It is highly likely that Old Mr. Yun was silenced. He is the first victim targeted by the enemy in our quest to uncover the truth.”
With a few sentences, Wu Suowei had successfully spun Ou Li's blunt complaint into an expression of dread and grief over the mastermind's ruthless actions.
Not only did he cover up Ou Li's blunder, but he also sowed deeper hatred in the hearts of the Zhao family, seamlessly aligning them all as allies fighting a common enemy.
It was killing three birds with one stone.
Floating to the side, Bai Ci watched in silent admiration.
Wu Suowei's emotional intelligence and quick thinking were truly masterful. She really had a lot to learn from him.
Since the dead could not defend themselves, and out of respect for the deceased, continuing to cast suspicion on an elder whom the entire Zhao family revered would only anger their employers. It would destroy all the trust they had built and leave them with nothing but blame.
Thus, he had decisively shifted his strategy. He abandoned any attempt to cast suspicion on Grandpa Yun and instead pinned all the blame on an elusive mastermind, painting a picture of an omnipresent, ruthless, and cunning enemy.
Whether the mastermind was putting on a show, or if this was a genuine accident or murder, shifting the blame to the shadows was incredibly easy. After all, the mastermind wasn't going to show up to defend themselves.
Now, with new and old grudges piling up, the Zhao family would only become more dependent on this group of experts, who were their only hope against the supernatural threat.
Sure enough, after hearing this explanation, the anger on Zhao Cunqiong's face melted away, replaced by a wave of lingering fear and gloom.
The other members of the Zhao family also grew solemn. Alongside their grief, a deep sense of dread and resentment began to take root.
Indeed, how could there be such a perfect coincidence?
Just as they had uncovered a lead, the old man had suddenly passed away. A man who had been hale and hearty just days ago was now gone in the blink of an eye. This was no ordinary accident.
Zhao Cunzhi gripped his phone tightly, his face grim. “Are you saying... Grandpa Yun was murdered by whatever is haunting us in the shadows?”
“Almost certainly,” Wu Suowei nodded, his tone resolute. Striking while the iron was hot, he immediately pushed his request. “And because our enemy is so ruthless and swift, we must make haste.”
“The mastermind has already begun silencing witnesses. If they could strike at Old Mr. Yun today, they could target anyone else connected to the Zhao family tomorrow.”
“We must head to Old Mr. Yun's residence immediately. There might still be traces left behind that the killer didn't have time to erase. If we find those clues, we can identify the true culprit and put an end to this once and for all.”
“If we delay and allow them to thoroughly sweep away all traces, we will lose our only chance to investigate.”
“If that happens, the Zhao family will continue to suffer under this curse, and those close to you will meet with misfortune one after another.”
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