Chapter 48: The Plot Collapsed

He twirled the tips of his fingers and looked over with a half-smile.

Judging from his expression, he didn't seem to be lying, leaving Chen Xingmiao momentarily deep in thought.

Aside from being the illegitimate son of the Xiao family, what other identity could the little villain possibly have?

If she had known, she should have probed Han Yao about this thoroughly that day and casually asked about the location of the ashes as well.

Feeling somewhat vexed, Chen Xingmiao raised her eyes again to look at Lin Yu.

"I don't like beating around the bush. If you have something to say, say it. If not, I'll take my leave."

Lin Yu narrowed his eyes, a glint of amusement and probing in his gaze. He looked her up and down for a long moment, then suddenly chuckled.

"I wouldn't have thought Miss Chen was such an impatient person. Very well..." He paused. "Xiao Ziyu is not a member of the Xiao family. In other words... he is not Xiao Yinsheng's biological son."

!!!

Xiao Yinsheng had been cuckolded?

Shock appeared on Chen Xingmiao's face, but she quickly composed herself.

"Whether he is biologically related to the Xiao family or not has nothing to do with whether he is my husband. I really have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."

With that, she stood up and quickly strode away.

This time, Lin Yu did not stop her. He merely looked at her retreating figure and curled his lips into a meaningful smile.

After leaving the Zhuyu Academy, Chen Xingmiao headed straight for the imperial palace, only to be blocked by two guards the moment she reached the palace gates.

"Move along, move along. Is this a place anyone can just waltz into?" one of the guards urged impatiently.

Do these NPCs have no memory at all? She had only followed the crown prince inside yesterday.

A helpless twitch curved the corner of Chen Xingmiao's mouth. She glanced around her surroundings, but failed to recognize a single face.

Wait... what happened to the eighty percent chance of a chance encounter between the male and female leads? They always managed to run into each other these past few days, yet at a crucial moment like this, she couldn't run into them at all?

Just as Chen Xingmiao was filled with helplessness and prepared to leave to find another way, a familiar voice came from behind her: "My fair lady, are you looking for this crown prince?"

Turning around in puzzlement, she saw Han Xu stepping down from a carriage.

A wave of joy washed over Chen Xingmiao, and she hurriedly bowed. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, can you let me in? I have an urgent matter to see the princess."

She wasn't looking for him after all?

Han Xu frowned slightly, then looked at the two guards and said in a deep voice, "This young lady is a friend of mine and the princess. Let her pass."

The guards looked terrified and hurriedly stepped aside to make way.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I'll treat you to wontons another day!" With that, Chen Xingmiao darted into the palace in a flash.

Han Xu shook his head, the smile at the corners of his lips deepening until his entire face radiated amusement.

Consumed by anxiety and with hurried steps, Chen Xingmiao made a direct dash toward the princess's bedchamber.

"Yaoyao, Yaoyao, are you in there?"

At that moment, Han Yao was lying comfortably on her bed, leisurely enjoying some pastries. Taken completely off guard by the urgent cry, a piece of pastry got stuck in her throat, and she nearly choked.

With great difficulty, Han Yao cleared her throat and glared irritably at Chen Xingmiao. "Goddess, what has gotten into you, rushing in like this? Are you trying to send me off to the afterlife!"

Apologetic to the core, Chen Xingmiao crossed the room in a few strides, took Han Yao's hand, and said, "Yaoyao, I really have a major issue on my hands, there's no time to explain everything to you."

Seeing the serious expression on her face, Han Yao set aside her joking manner, sat up straight, and asked, "Fine, tell me, what on earth is going on?"

Taking a deep breath, Chen Xingmiao blurted out the entire conversation she had just had with Lin Yu at the academy.

Han Yao listened quietly, her face devoid of any ripple, looking as calm as if she were hearing about some trivial, inconsequential matter.

Unhurriedly, she raised her hand, delicately picked up another piece of pastry, and took a bite.

"Yaoyao, stop eating. I'm talking to you about something important."

Han Yao raised her eyes, a flash of mischievousness passing through them. Swallowing the pastry in her mouth, she said slowly, "Look at you panicking. What he said is true; Xiao Ziyu is indeed not Xiao Yinsheng's biological son."

"Huh? You mean Xiao Yinsheng really got cuckolded?"

Chen Xingmiao's expression gradually stiffened. Slowly raising her head, even the muscles on her cheeks twitched imperceptibly.

Han Yao was drinking some water and instantly choked. She quickly set down the cup and waved her hand.

"How could that be? Xiao Ziyu's mother was a super wonderful person. Anyway, it's a bit complicated and I've forgotten the details. You'll just have to wait for him to tell you himself, Goddess."

Chen Xingmiao: ...

The author of the novel telling her that she has forgotten her own plot settings—was this even reasonable?

Her mouth pulled downward in helpless resignation. Han Yao rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment and offered a piece of pastry to her.

With no mood to spare for food, Chen Xingmiao placed the pastry on the table and grabbed Han Yao's hands.

"Yaoyao, think carefully then. Where did Xiao Yinsheng hide the ashes of the little villain's mother?!"

Han Yao's chewing stopped abruptly, and her initially clear eyes were gradually veiled by a hazy mist.

She unconsciously tilted her head slightly, knitted her brows in puzzlement, and her face was plastered with bewilderment.

"Goddess, I never wrote any plot about the ashes of Xiao Ziyu's mother."

A trace of cluelessness laced her voice, along with a sense of being at a loss for how to handle Chen Xingmiao's abrupt question.

Hearing this, the urgency on Chen Xingmiao's face instantly turned into astonishment, and her hands involuntarily loosened their grip on Han Yao.

"How is that possible? You're the author of this story, how could you have never written this plot?"

Incredible disbelief and lingering panic colored her voice. Wearing an equally innocent expression, Han Yao spread her hands and said, "I really have no memory of it. Could it be... the plot has collapsed? After all, I never wrote about Xiao Ziyu going to the Zhuyu Academy either."

With that, she sat down at the table, cupped her chin in her hands to recall the details from when she was writing, and finally shook her head.

Mulling over her words, Chen Xingmiao slowly calmed down.

Han Yao was right; the current trajectory of the plot had already deviated far from the original storyline.

The little villain hadn't turned dark yet, and was even inching bit by bit toward a better path. Furthermore, the Chen and Xiao families hadn't been wiped out...

The one thing that could now be confirmed was that the little villain was not a member of the Xiao family.

Recalling the events that had transpired over this period of time, Chen Xingmiao experienced a sudden flash of enlightenment.

No wonder Xiao Yinsheng was always so ruthless toward Xiao Ziyu, completely devoid of any paternal warmth. It was also no wonder that whenever the topic related to the Xiao family was brought up on ordinary days, the little villain would fly off the handle.

Those once-incomprehensible reactions now found entirely reasonable explanations once the secret of his birth was brought to light.

It seemed that he himself had known all along that he was not a biological son.

"Goddess, you seem awfully invested in Xiao Ziyu?" Han Yao narrowed her eyes as she looked at her, a hint of probing glinting in her gaze alongside a meaningful, lingering smile.

Invested... was she?

Chen Xingmiao's train of thought was abruptly yanked back by Han Yao's words. Looking completely dazed, she instinctively raised her eyes to look at Han Yao, her eyes filled with confusion.

Pausing slightly, Han Yao put away her smile, turned serious, and spoke with a tone carrying a hint of warning: "Don't forget, he is extremely dangerous. You'd better divorce him as soon as possible and get together with my imperial brother instead, rather than entangling yourself in unnecessary trouble."

"I didn't..."

Just as Chen Xingmiao was about to explain, Xiao Liu's voice suddenly rang in her head—

[Warning! Warning! The villain's darkness value has increased by ten! Host, please head to the Zhuyu Academy within ten minutes, otherwise the mission will fail, and you will be immediately eliminated!]