Peach-Orange! – Chapter 427 – Is the Overseas-Returned Young Lady the Fallen Female Villain?

Chi Xiaocheng understood Si Chen’s meaning.

Matters concerning the World’s Will, as well as the fact that this world was originally a fictional one, absolutely could not be revealed to Su Tao in her current state.

Her “weight” was still not low enough.

So Chi Xiaocheng deliberately raised her voice and asked, “Si Chen, I’ve been spending so much time with Tao-Tao these days that I forgot to ask… how are the two cats at home? You still haven’t brought them over after all this time?”

“Uh….”

Si Chen was momentarily speechless. He hadn’t expected Chi Xiaocheng to hit him with such a tricky question right off the bat.

After a pause, he answered truthfully, “Honestly, I forgot about them.”

“…”

Silence filled the room.

To be fair, Chi Xiaocheng had also forgotten.

Ever since confessing to Tao-Tao and officially getting together, she had been thoroughly immersed in the bliss of their relationship.

Especially now that Su Tao had developed a bit of possessiveness, she would actively cling to Chi Xiaocheng whenever she had the chance, much to Xiaocheng’s delight.

As for Su Tao?

She had let King and Xiao Ran roam freely so many times before, knowing full well that the two would go out hunting on their own, so she had never worried about them.

Oh no… Could something really have happened to them?

After some thought, Chi Xiaocheng decided to call Fang Ning first.

Rеαd οո КαtRеаԁіոgСafе

It had been a while since they last spoke, and Fang Ning’s voice on the phone sounded cheerful. “Sister Xiaocheng, it’s been so long since you last called me! Is there something you need?”

Chi Xiaocheng got straight to the point. “I wanted to ask… have King and Xiao Ran… uh, run away from home recently? Did they maybe go to your place?”

Fang Ning let out a confused noise. “Sister Xiaocheng, did you have a fight with the cats? I did see them near the trash cans at the market yesterday when I was grocery shopping. At first, I thought I was mistaken.

“But then I brought them back to the cat café. I’ve been so busy that I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

Relieved, Chi Xiaocheng replied, “That’s good, that’s good. I’m not at home right now and staying somewhere else. Could you take care of them for a while longer?”

Fang Ning sighed helplessly. “Got it. Xiao Ran is very well-behaved, but King keeps picking fights with the other cats. Every time he comes back, it’s the same thing, like he’s trying to assert his dominance. It’s so annoying.

“Oh, and Sister Xiaocheng, let me tell you—”

Perhaps because it had been so long since they last talked, Fang Ning ended up chatting with Chi Xiaocheng about all sorts of things.

It wasn’t until the café owner called her over to help that she hurriedly ended the call, promising to take good care of King and Xiao Ran.

Si Chen, who had been sitting nearby the whole time, couldn’t help but remark, “That’s really nice.”

“Yeah,” Chi Xiaocheng agreed with a sigh. “Compared to ordinary house cats, a former stray like King has much stronger survival skills. Even after more than a week out there with Xiao Ran, they’re still living it up.

“I bet when we see them again, they’ll have even gained weight.”

“…”

Sometimes, he really couldn’t keep up with Chi Xiaocheng’s train of thought.

With another sigh, Si Chen walked over to the door and pressed his ear against it to listen.

Rеαd οո ΚаtRеаԁingCаfe

Then, without warning, he yanked it open.

Ambush!

The ambush failed. Su Tao wasn’t eavesdropping outside.

This also made Si Chen breathe a sigh of relief. “Su Tao isn’t here. Let’s talk about Chu Lingfeng’s death and that Head Maid. It’s better if Su Tao doesn’t know about these things.”

Getting down to business, Chi Xiaocheng hopped onto the computer chair Su Tao usually sat in, her expression turning slightly more serious. “Chu Lingfeng’s death was really unexpected. Even with his luck completely drained, he shouldn’t have died so easily. So I have a theory.”

Si Chen narrowed his eyes. “You also think the Head Maid killed Chu Lingfeng?”

Chi Xiaocheng blinked. “You guessed that too?”

Si Chen adjusted his glasses. “From what Yu Hui ¹ that plainclothes man said, I’ve pieced together quite a bit. Especially after investigating his background.

“I found out he came from the capital, and his family was settled there.

“Assuming he didn’t rush here from the capital just for Chu Lingfeng, we can deduce that the Head Maid he mentioned has also arrived from the capital!

“And the term ‘Head Maid’… is very telling.”

Si Chen laid out his analysis and speculations.

In mid-to-low-tier families, even if they owned a small villa and hired a few maids, they wouldn’t have a position like “Head Maid.”

The biggest reason was that their influence wasn’t strong enough. Such extravagance would only invite ridicule.

Take his Si Family and Dongfang Yang’s Dongfang Family, for example.

Rеαd oո ΚαtRеаⅾіոɡСafе

The Dongfang Family’s power in the capital was immense, with sprawling villas and estates, yet they didn’t have a so-called “Head Maid.”

The Dongfang Family was a purely Great Zhou-native lineage and staunchly rejected Western influences.

Even the Si Family, as large as it was, only had one, and that was purely for putting on a front when dealing with foreign affairs.

From this, he could further deduce that this Head Maid was very likely the maid of the young lady who had been making waves in the capital recently!

Of course, this was just speculation.

But Si Chen felt his deduction was about 80-90% accurate.

An overseas-returned young lady sending maids ahead to handle domestic affairs before her grand return… wasn’t that perfectly normal?

The only thing Si Chen couldn’t figure out was: Why would this young lady target Chi Xiaocheng, a complete stranger?

After listening to Si Chen’s analysis, Chi Xiaocheng couldn’t help but admire him once again. He was truly the intelligence powerhouse of the original story.

With just these scraps of information, he had connected the dots to that young lady.

And in fact, Chi Xiaocheng shared his suspicions.

The Head Maid had eliminated the troublesome Chu Lingfeng, taken control of Jiuzhou City, and was now targeting her and Su Tao.

That young lady was likely about to return from overseas very soon.

If she wasn’t mistaken, this Head Maid might prove even more troublesome than Chu Lingfeng!

Chi Xiaocheng shared her thoughts with Si Chen, who raised an eyebrow. “If that’s really the case, it might not be entirely a bad thing.”

Rеaⅾ oո КαtReαԁiոɡСαfе

“How is this not a bad thing?

“Chi Xiaocheng, people groomed by major families all have their own set of behavioral principles. Whether it’s that young lady who hasn’t returned yet or this Head Maid, they won’t be as unhinged as Chu Lingfeng.

“If they want to target you, they’ll definitely have a detailed plan, not some sudden ambush like last time.”

As for the sniper incident….

Honestly, anyone would have chosen to sacrifice Chi Xiaocheng in that situation.

It was just that even the Head Maid had misjudged the bond between Su Tao and Chi Xiaocheng.

“However.…” Si Chen took a deep breath. “I still don’t understand why the Head Maid and that young lady have their sights set on you. It makes no sense. I could understand if they kidnapped Su Tao, but you? What’s the logic there?”

Hearing this, Chi Xiaocheng inwardly sneered.

Why target only me?

Wasn’t it obvious?

That young lady was the “wealthy female villain.”

And the “wealthy female villain” represented the World’s Will.

Chi Xiaocheng was almost certain.

That never-before-seen young lady wanted to erase her from this world!