Chapter Cause and Effect

With Zhao Dongchuan’s keen perception, he had long since noticed Zhao Xiaofei’s abnormality, but he still didn’t know the full story and couldn’t pinpoint the problem.

He actually had a slight suspicion in his heart, but it needed to be verified. Since Zhao Xiaofei was the original owner’s cousin, it wasn’t good to act directly. He had to find an opportune moment to test him.

Soon the noodles were finished. With several adults present, it naturally wasn’t up to Zhao Dongchuan to clean up, so he got up from the table, sat on a nearby long bench, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it with a calm and composed demeanor.

He occasionally looked at Zhao Xiaofei, and that meaningful smile made Zhao Xiaofei, who already had a guilty conscience, even more uneasy.

While the adults were washing dishes, scrubbing pots, and chatting in the kitchen, leaving only Zhao Dongchuan and Zhao Xiaofei in the living room, Zhao Dongchuan decided to probe Zhao Xiaofei’s intentions.

So, he smiled slightly and said, “Cousin Xiaofei, you seem quite surprised to see me back, don’t you?”

He stared intently at Zhao Xiaofei, fixing his gaze on his eyes.

Zhao Xiaofei, being a young man with little experience in the world, couldn’t remain unperturbed when Zhao Dongchuan asked this. His face immediately flushed, and he stammered, “No…no, not at all…”

“Whether you are or not, you know in your heart!” Zhao Dongchuan first chuckled, then his expression changed, and he said gloomily.

“I specifically went to Director Li of the neighborhood committee to find out! He told me everything!”

“You…you know everything?” Zhao Xiaofei’s face visibly changed when he heard Zhao Dongchuan mention Director Li of the neighborhood committee. He immediately broke down, his voice trembling slightly.

Upon hearing Zhao Xiaofei’s reply, Zhao Dongchuan understood. He really hadn’t expected that his assignment to the countryside in Huangyuan actually involved his opportunistic cousin.

He was instantly speechless. The original owner’s popularity was really too poor; even his own cousin was trying to trick him.

And even colluding with outsiders to trick him, it was truly frustrating!

Zhao Dongchuan’s mind was racing, already thinking about how to deal with this opportunistic cousin.

He had to teach him a lesson, at least.

Zhao Dongchuan’s face immediately darkened, and the fierce aura he had accumulated from long cultivation instantly erupted.

Zhao Xiaofei was startled by this sudden aura, instantly feeling as if he was being targeted by a beast. His body stiffened, his heart pounded, and after a moment, he quickly began to explain, “This…this really isn’t my fault. You were the one who wanted to be a hero saving a beauty back then. I…I was forced, that’s why…please don’t tell my mom!”

Zhao Dongchuan, who had been feeling gloomy, was amused by Zhao Xiaofei’s demeanor.

This cousin looked several months older than him, yet he still had such a childish mentality, even afraid that he would go and complain to his aunt!

However, from his cousin’s words, it seemed there was another hidden story, and he was not the mastermind but merely a coerced participant.

Thinking of this, Zhao Dongchuan relaxed a bit. He could directly use methods against others, but for his own cousin, he still had to give his family some face, even though he wasn’t Zhao Xiaofei’s true cousin.

“Hahaha, Cousin, what are you saying? How could I tell your mom…I could tell your uncle too!” Zhao Dongchuan chuckled.

Originally, Zhao Xiaofei had managed a faint smile when Zhao Dongchuan said he wouldn’t tell his mom, but as soon as he heard about telling his dad, Zhao Xiaofei’s joy instantly turned to sorrow, and he pulled a long face.

“I say, Cousin, we are cousins after all, there’s no need for this. Let’s resolve our matters privately!” Zhao Xiaofei immediately played the emotional card, leaning over and saying slyly.

“Alright, I’ll give you a chance. Come outside with me!” Zhao Dongchuan didn’t want the adults to know about this, so he told Zhao Xiaofei to follow him outside.

With that, he left the house and walked towards the courtyard gate.

Zhao Xiaofei stood stunned, his expression shifting, but in the end, he obediently followed. He had been genuinely frightened by Zhao Dongchuan’s appearance just now and was a bit intimidated.

Furthermore, since Zhao Dongchuan had already mentioned Director Li of the neighborhood committee, that matter must have been exposed, and there was no point in him resisting any further.

Walking to a corner outside the courtyard, Zhao Dongchuan said with a chuckle, “I say, Cousin Xiaofei, spill the beans!”

“Uh, I don’t know if you still remember, last year, uh, no, it was the year before last already, one day on your way home, when you passed through an alley…”

As Zhao Xiaofei recounted intermittently, Zhao Dongchuan also found the original owner’s memories regarding this matter.

It turned out that in the summer of the year before last, during the second semester of senior high school, the original owner, Zhao Dongchuan, on his way home from school, passed through a secluded and deserted alley.

A long-haired man was harassing a female classmate from the same school, and he happened to witness it.

As a result, the original owner, Zhao Dongchuan, who was deeply influenced by Red Flag education, had a sudden impulse. He picked up a large stone from the roadside and ambushed the hooligan from behind, cracking his head open. In a few moves, he chased the hooligan away.

“What does this have to do with my assignment? This counts as an act of bravery… Oh… Could that hooligan be Li Zhou? That doesn’t seem quite right, the age doesn’t match!” Zhao Dongchuan thought to himself.

“I do remember something like that. That girl was really pretty!” Zhao Dongchuan recalled the girl’s appearance from his memories.

“Exactly, that girl was indeed very pretty, but as the old saying goes, she was a femme fatale!” Zhao Xiaofei said somewhat dejectedly.

“How so?” Zhao Dongchuan raised an eyebrow and asked.

“Ever since you saved that girl, have you been very close to her?”

“Close? No, I just occasionally bumped into her a few times at school and had a few brief chats. I never had any designs on her!” Zhao Dongchuan said in surprise.

“Yes, you can say you didn’t have any ulterior motives, but others don’t think that way…

That girl was indeed very pretty, but many people were after her. There was a young master from a prominent family who took a liking to her and even spread the word in his circle, forbidding anyone else from approaching her. And you…” Zhao Xiaofei trailed off, hesitating to speak.

Now Zhao Dongchuan understood; so that’s where the complicated situation came from.

“That person is Li Zhou, right!” Zhao Dongchuan looked at Zhao Xiaofei and said with a chuckle.

“You really know! That person is Li Zhou, from a military compound, same grade as me. He took a liking to that junior… Later, he found out from somewhere that you’re my cousin, and one day he brought people and surrounded me… And then…” Zhao Xiaofei stammered towards the end of his explanation.

Zhao Dongchuan now understood the whole story.

“It seems this Li Zhou found out about my relationship with Zhao Xiaofei, then threatened and enticed him, and this guy sold me out… However, judging by Li Zhou’s personality as described, it definitely wouldn’t be as simple as just sending me to the countryside. He would surely beat me up to vent his anger, right?”

There were still some unclear points, but Zhao Dongchuan had already figured out the general course of events, so he no longer dwelled on these minor details.

The problem now was how to deal with this opportunistic cousin!