Chapter 474: The Old Man is Indeed Cunning!


Lin Hao walked up to Qin Ruan and replied, "Before Second Master leaves, he arranged for someone to protect Young Master Qiao."


Qin Ruan's eyebrows raised slightly. "Can you contact the person who is protecting Qiao Xi?"


Lin Hao didn't hesitate at all. "Yes!"


Before leaving, Hou Chuan made it very clear to him about many things regarding the management of the secret guards.


Qin Ruan exerted a slight force with her fingertips, and she said in a deep voice, "Bring the person who is protecting Qiao Xi here. I have something to ask."


She had a feeling that there was something fishy about Qiao Xi going to the Zhenpin Pavilion.


Lin Hao nodded but remained motionless in his place.


Qin Ruan frowned. "Is there something else?"


Lin Hao pursed his lips and asked her, "Why didn't you stop Qiao Xi from going to the Zhenpin Pavilion?"


The Zhenpin Pavilion was full of dangers, and it was also the property of the Nangong family. If something happened to Qiao Xi there, they would appear very passive.


Qin Ruan replied with a headache, "With Qiao Xi's personality, if stopping him would have been effective, why would I bother with these things?"


Qiao Xi's way of doing things was such that the more you tried to prevent him from doing something, the more he would go against you.


His temperament was even more willful than her second brother.


Despite Qiao Xi being one or two years older than them, his personality was truly headache-inducing.


Lin Hao furrowed his brows slightly and suggested, "Third Young Master will return in a few days. During this time, we can find someone to watch over Qiao Xi and prevent him from going out. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong."


He also didn't want anything to happen to Qiao Xi during this stage.


If something happened to Qiao Xi, regardless of whether or not it was his responsibility, he would undoubtedly have to bear the consequences.


Qin Ruan shook her head at Lin Hao's words. "You don't understand Qiao Xi. His personality can't be confined. It's better to let him go and prevent him from escaping without our knowledge. If something unexpected happens, at least we will be aware of it."


Lin Hao fell into silence for a moment and resignedly said, "I'll go call the person who is with him and ask."


He always felt that once he stepped into the Hou family, countless troubles were waiting for him.


Dealing with that woman, Su Jingshu, in the Su family was less mentally exhausting than this.


In the Su family, his body was restricted, and he was constantly summoned by Su Jingshu. His acting skills improved as well.


In the Hou family, he had gained freedom, but everything he had encountered in such a short time was more complicated than what he had experienced in the Su family over a year.


Lin Hao began to doubt himself, wondering if he would regret staying in the Hou family.


Wasn't this opportunity that the Third Young Master gave him, granting him some authority while taking Hou Chuan away, just a way to exploit his last bit of usefulness?


Lin Hao shook his head helplessly as he walked away. His cold and determined face revealed a bitter smile.


Why was he overthinking like a woman? This chance given to him by the Third Young Master was solely due to Qin Ruan's face. Otherwise, there would be no place for him in the Hou family.


Qin Ruan was unaware of the inner turmoil in Lin Hao's heart. She sat up straight, her face showing a pensive expression.


Hou Yunjiao and Hou Yirong were not here, the Old Master stayed indoors every day to recuperate, and father Hou had gone abroad.

"Hou Junxin is in the cabinet every day, and Long Wei is so busy that she can't be seen."


"If Qiao Xi really gets into trouble, she can't stay out of it."


"Qin Ruan has a feeling that the Third Young Master couldn't possibly be unaware of Qiao Xi's visit to the Zhenpin Pavilion."


The secret guards of the Hou family should have reported to Hou Yirong or Hou Yunjiao as soon as Qiao Xi left.


These two people who manage the affairs of the Hou family, one left with Hou Zhi and Hou Qiang, and the other rushed to the United States for who knows what reason.


Leaving this mess for her, Qin Ruan reasonably suspects that the Third Young Master deliberately had a hand in it.


Lin Hao didn't make Qin Ruan wait for too long. He returned once again, accompanied by an ordinary-looking man with an extraordinary aura.


The two of them walked up to Qin Ruan, and Lin Hao pointed to the person beside him.


"He is the undercover guard arranged by the Second Master by Qiao Xi's side."


Qin Ruan nodded to Lin Hao, her eyes examining the undercover guard standing in front of her, an ordinary-looking man who blended into the crowd when his aura was concealed, just like an ordinary person walking on the street.


The other person slightly bent his body towards Qin Ruan and respectfully greeted, '"Madam.'"


Qin Ruan went straight to the point, ''Who has Qiao Xi been hanging out with recently?''


"Mr. Liu, a subsidiary force of the Xiao family," the undercover guard answered without a hint of hesitation.


"The Xiao family?" Qin Ruan had considered the Nangong family and the Su family, but she never suspected the Xiao family.


Upon careful thought, Qiao Xi seemed to have some conflicts with the Xiao family.


Before the marriage between Nangong Chang and Xiao Wenrou, Qiao Xi broke the leg of Xiao Wenrou's brother.


This matter gave the Third Master and Huo Yirong a headache. The Nangong and Xiao families even invited the Third Young Master, who rarely went out, to attend the wedding.


On the surface, it was an invitation, but secretly, they wanted to settle the score between Xiao Yujie and Qiao Xi. The Third Master had to attend the wedding.


The Third Young Master had an incident at the wedding of Nangong Chang and Xiao Wenrou.


To this day, it is still unclear whether the Third Master's illness at that time was related to the dark forces' secret actions or if it was caused by the demonic aura on the dark forces' body.


Qin Ruan asked the undercover guard in a solemn tone, "Did the Xiao family have a hand in Qiao Xi's visit to the Zhenpin Pavilion?"


The undercover guard responded directly, "Yes, the mastermind behind it is Xiao Yujie, the eldest son of the Xiao family."


Qin Ruan's uneasiness grew deeper.


A gleam of light flashed in her eyes unintentionally, "Did the Second Master know about Qiao Xi's visit to the Zhenpin Pavilion?"


The undercover guard replied, "He knew."


Qin Ruan's tone was slightly heavy, "And the Third Young Master?"


The undercover guard said, "Before the master left, he was informed."


Qin Ruan smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, "So, Qiao Xi has been visiting the Zhenpin Pavilion for some time, and both the Second and Third Masters knew about it. They chose to let Qiao Xi handle it on his own?"


The undercover guard hesitated for a moment but quickly said, "The master did know about this matter and instructed us to let the young master handle it without getting into trouble. Only by experiencing hardship will he learn his lesson."


Qin Ruan was simply infuriated.


The Second and Third Young Masters left without a care, allowing Qiao Xi to learn his lesson through suffering.


And now that Qiao Xi hasn't suffered yet, they're thinking of dragging her down with them.

Based on Qin Ruan's current speculation, since the Xiao family brought Qiao Xi to the Zhenpin Pavilion, they must have some preparations in place.


This time, when Qiao Xi approached her and wanted to bring her to the Zhenpin Pavilion, there might be some hidden agenda involved.


The more Qin Ruan thought about it, the more she felt that Xiao Yujie's side was likely to be tightening the net and dealing with Qiao Xi, seeking revenge for the leg he had broken.


Her gaze turned cold, and the oppressive aura emanating from her made people feel a chill.


Qin Ruan looked coldly at the dark guard in front of her and asked, "What's been going on with the Xiao family lately?"


"Xiao Yu Jie is preparing to cause trouble at the Zhenpin Pavilion tonight. He publicly announced his intention to break the legs of the Young Master and has already arranged people to wait for the Young Master to fall into the trap."


The dark guard's response was clear and organized.


Qin Ruan sneered, "Huh!"


If Qiao Xi hadn't come to her, she wouldn't have let slip any information. If she didn't ask the dark guard, she wouldn't have known about Xiao Yu Jie plotting against Qiao Xi, and she wouldn't need to get involved.


Everything was so coincidental.


Qin Ruan didn't know what to say about the Third Young Master who had already left.


He seemed unassuming, but in reality, his scheming ran deep, and he was good at plotting.


The old man was truly cunning!