76: Chapter 77 Seeing Su Man Again

In the evening, inside a private room at a restaurant known for its home-style cuisine and elegant ambiance.

Yin Tianxue had arrived first and was looking at the menu. When she heard the door open, she looked up and saw Yin Tianchou. A faint smile appeared on her face, but deep in her eyes, there was still a trace of unshakeable exhaustion.

"Sister!" Yin Tianchou pulled out a chair and sat down with a grin. His gaze swept across Yin Tianxue's face, keenly capturing that trace of exhaustion, but he was smart enough not to point it out immediately. "Have you ordered yet? I'm starving!"

"I was waiting for you. See what you want to eat." Yin Tianxue pushed the menu over.

After the siblings finished ordering and chatted about daily life for a few moments, Yin Tianxue brought up, seemingly casually, "You mentioned last time that someone in the company might... have an issue with me?"

Yin Tianchou's hand, which was picking up food, paused. He looked up at his sister, put down his chopsticks, and his expression became more serious. "Yeah, I found something. But sister, this matter might be more complicated than you think."

He took out his phone, pulled up the processed data, and pushed it in front of Yin Tianxue. "You remember Lin Rui from the Marketing Department, right? It's him. I found that his account recently had abnormal deposits, and he's been in contact with an encrypted account. The timing was right around when you received the video."

"Lin Rui?" Yin Tianxue frowned. She didn't have a deep impression of this person, only remembering that he was the nephew of one of the company's veterans, his work ability was passable, and he had previously tried to curry favor with her, but she had never paid any attention to him.

"Yes, that's him. As for the motive, it could be love turning into hatred, or he was bought off by someone." Yin Tianchou's tone was disdainful. "However," he changed the subject, lowering his voice, "when I was investigating, I encountered a bit of an 'accident.' There was a mysterious person with very impressive technical skills who seemed to be investigating this matter as well. They warned me to be careful, not to get bitten back, and furthermore... they mentioned a name that surprised me a bit."

"Who?"

"Older Female Cousin Su Man." Yin Tianchou slowly spat out the name.

Yin Tianxue's heart sank abruptly, and her face instantly turned pale. Su Man! It really was her!

"Did you investigate clearly? Are you sure it's her?" Yin Tianxue's voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling—not out of fear, but out of shock and heartbreak at such calculated malice from a so-called "relative."

"The clues point strongly to her." Yin Tianchou explained the connection between the encrypted account and the places Su Man often frequented, as well as the flow of funds to a shell company. "Although she did it quite covertly, the traces weren't wiped clean enough. As for the motive... it couldn't be more obvious. Since she can't have Yu Bo, she wants to destroy him, and she can't stand seeing him happy with you."

Yin Tianxue closed her eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing the surging anger and coldness in her heart. No wonder... no wonder that video arrived so precisely, so viciously, and the timing was so perfect. If it was Su Man, everything made sense. Her obsession with Yu Bo, her jealousy toward her as a "stumbling block," and that twisted desire for revenge...

"Don't spread word of this yet." Yin Tianxue forced herself to calm down and said to her brother, "Especially not to Mom, Dad, or our aunt."

Yin Tianchou understood his sister's concerns and nodded. "I know. But sister, that mysterious person who warned me... codenamed 'Old Ghost,' has very advanced technical skills and seems to know a lot of inside information. They also warned me to be careful of the 'Yang Family.' Could this matter involve other people as well?"

"The Yang Family?" Yin Tianxue's heart chilled. The entanglement between Shen Nian and the Yang Family surfaced in her mind again. Could there be a shadow of the Yang Family behind Su Man? Did the Yang Family use Su Man's obsession and jealousy, or even provide some kind of support?

She felt that things were like a tangled mess, getting messier the more she tried to sort them out. "Don't think so far ahead for now. Let's wait for the results of Dad's investigation." She rubbed her temples, feeling a wave of exhaustion and mental fatigue. Shen Nian was already enough to disgust her, and now a more crazy, and related, Su Man had popped up...

Seeing his sister's haggard and forbearing appearance, Yin Tianchou's dissatisfaction with that "future brother-in-law" grew a few more notches. These were all romantic debts he had stirred up!

As he was thinking this, the door to the private room was gently pushed open, and a tall, beautiful figure appeared at the doorway, accompanied by a faint, sophisticated scent of perfume.

"Oh, I saw someone from afar who looked just like Tianchou, and it really is you!" The newcomer's voice was crisp, carrying a touch of familiar amusement.

Yin Tianxue and Yin Tianchou looked up at the same time to see Su Man standing at the doorway. Today, she was wearing a well-tailored champagne-colored knitted maxi dress, paired with an off-white oversized coat. Her thick, seaweed-like curly hair was draped casually, her makeup was exquisite and vibrant, and she exuded a kind of lazy yet striking beauty. Her beauty was highly aggressive, carrying the charm of a mature woman and a trace of imperceptible wildness; even in front of a beauty like Yin Tianxue, she was not inferior in the slightest, though their temperaments were completely different.

"Older Female Cousin." Yin Tianchou was the first to react, instantly putting on a slightly exaggerated, surprised smile. "What a coincidence? You're eating here too?"

Su Man walked in, clicking her stilettos, her movements graceful and swaying. Her gaze lingered on Yin Tianxue's face for a moment—a look complex and difficult to discern—before turning to Yin Tianchou with a flowery smile. "Yes, I had an appointment with a friend to discuss some things. Just finished, and when I passed by and saw you, I came over to say hello." As she spoke, she naturally pulled out a chair and sat down. "You don't mind if I sit for a while, do you? Tianxue, long time no see. You look a bit... tired?" Her tone was concerned, but her gaze carried a faint, probing quality.

Yin Tianxue's heart instantly tightened, but she maintained basic etiquette on her face and nodded faintly. "Older Female Cousin Su Man. I'm fine, just a bit busy with work."

Su Man smiled and turned her gaze to Yin Tianchou with the affection of an elder. "Tianchou, when did you get back? You didn't even tell your Older Female Cousin so I could welcome you! How was it abroad?"

"Just got back a few days ago, still overcoming jet lag." Yin Tianchou deflected, but alarm bells were ringing in his heart. Su Man's appearance was too "coincidental," and although she seemed casual, there seemed to be something hidden in those beautiful eyes.

"Is that so?" Su Man picked up the teacup that Yin Tianchou hadn't touched yet and took a sip naturally, her movements elegant. "You two siblings have such a good relationship, having a private dinner as soon as you get back. What are you chatting about? So serious?" Her gaze swept seemingly unintentionally over the phone screen that Yin Tianchou hadn't had time to put away. Although she didn't see the specific content clearly, that familiar encrypted software icon still caused a flash of something strange to pass through her eyes.

Yin Tianchou reacted extremely quickly, putting away his phone with a grin. "Nothing, just chatting nonsense. Sister was asking me if I made any girlfriends abroad." He spouted nonsense, trying to change the subject.

Su Man covered her mouth and chuckled. "Then you really need to report back to Tianxue properly. However," she changed the subject, her gaze landing on Yin Tianxue with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "Tianxue, it's not that your Older Female Cousin wants to nag you, but don't just worry about your brother; your own lifelong affairs are more important. How are things with... Yu Bo? I seem to have heard people mentioning a few days ago that you two had some minor conflicts?"

This question was direct, even somewhat offensive. Yin Tianxue's hand gripping the cup tightened slightly. She looked up at Su Man, her tone calm and waveless. "Thank you for your concern, Older Female Cousin, we are doing very well."

"Is that so?" Su Man dragged out her tone, her fingers painted with exquisite nail polish tapping gently on the table. "That's good then. That man Yu Bo, his conditions are not bad, but he's just too attractive to others, with constant flirtations around him. You have to keep a close eye on him. Don't be like your Older Female Cousin, who was too stupid and too naive back then..." Her tone carried a trace of self-mockery and resentment, but her eyes were fixed tightly on Yin Tianxue, as if wanting to catch a crack in her expression.

Yin Tianxue's heart sank to the bottom. Su Man's words, seemingly caring, were actually filled with thorns, full of implications and provocation. She was almost certain that the beautiful yet venomous Older Female Cousin in front of her was the mastermind behind the scenes. But Su Man's calmness and proactive mention of it at this moment made her somewhat uncertain—was she not afraid of being exposed?

Yin Tianchou was listening from the side, feeling furious. He was just about to retort, but was stopped by a look from Yin Tianxue.

"Thank you for the reminder, Older Female Cousin." Yin Tianxue's voice remained calm, even carrying a hint of distant politeness. "However, as for the matters between Yu Bo and me, we will handle them ourselves; there is no need to trouble an outsider."

"An outsider?" The smile on Su Man's face faded a little, and her eyes turned cold. "Tianxue, that's being too distant. No matter what, we are cousins; am I wrong to care about you? Besides, Yu Bo..."