Chapter 1120: Orchestrating Behind the Scenes

Chapter 1120: Orchestrating Behind the Scenes

Gu Zi’s heart skipped a beat. It was her again—Jiang Nan.

From the sound of things, Jiang Nan had quite the reputation in the village, admired by both men and women, good and bad alike.

But to Gu Zi, this only raised more suspicion. If everyone thought so highly of Jiang Nan, it only made her more likely to be hiding something. After all, in this narrative, Jiang Nan was like an invisible figure, lingering in the shadows, orchestrating things without anyone truly seeing her.

It was natural that the Li family wanted to confront Jiang Yao for an explanation, and it made sense that the villagers, having heard the rumors, would be outraged. They believed Jiang Yao had killed his wife, and the anger was understandable.

But would they truly go so far as to murder Jiang Yao to avenge Li Mei? The answer, of course, was no. If they had been serious, they wouldn’t have just been shouting threats.

But Jiang Nan had made sure Jiang Yao disappeared, hidden away, away from any possible retribution. There was something off about Jiang Nan.

Gu Zi knew better than to voice these thoughts directly. She wasn’t sure how Jiang Yao would respond, or whether it would lead to trouble. Instead, she carefully chose her words. “After Li Mei was knocked unconscious by you and later woke up to come here and find Bai Ze, did anyone else know about it?”

Jiang Yao, unaware of Gu Zi’s underlying reasoning, gave the question some thought. “Well, Jiang Nan knew. Her house was right next to Bai Ze’s. Li Mei used to visit Bai Ze quite often, and it was Jiang Nan who saw them one day and told me about it. She warned me, though—what you see isn’t always the truth. I misunderstood Li Mei back then. Sigh…”

Gu Zi’s lips curled into a cold smile. Something didn’t add up. It seemed all too likely that Jiang Nan had deliberately planted the idea in Jiang Yao’s head that Li Mei and Bai Ze were having an affair. But why would she want to harm Li Mei?

Gu Zi fell silent, her mind whirling. Then, a thought struck her—what that older man had said that day. Jiang Nan couldn’t have children, so her husband went outside to find another woman to bear his child… and Li Mei was the intermediary!

Maybe Jiang Nan had played the role of the gracious wife, allowing her husband to find another woman to bear a child, trying to cover up her own inability to have children. But the truth was, Jiang Nan wasn’t so magnanimous after all. Li Mei, believing in her kindness, had introduced other women to Jiang Nan’s husband.

Gu Zi wasn’t sure yet, but she was determined to follow this trail.

Chen Xi, who had been listening in on the conversation, was now thoroughly confused. One moment they were talking about suicide, the next moment, it wasn’t. He was losing track of it all. “So how did Li Mei really die?” he asked Gu Zi, rubbing his temples.

Jiang Yao, his face pale with guilt, looked determined. “If Li Mei wasn’t suicidal, but was killed, then no matter how many years have passed, I have to find the murderer. I’ll do anything. Please, Miss Gu, you’re capable—please help me find the real killer. My wife deserves justice. This is my fault.”

Gu Zi took a step back, a touch of disdain on her face. Now, after all this time, he suddenly wanted justice? Wasn’t it too late for that?

Still, uncovering the truth was necessary, especially to dispel the rumors. She sighed, softened her tone, and said, “Get up. I have a plan, but you’ll need to cooperate with me completely. In a moment, Chen Xi will escort you out. You’ll pretend to be arrested by us again, but when you’re getting into the car, break free and escape. Chen Xi will let you get away.”

Chen Xi scratched his head, looking perplexed. He hadn’t come here to play the role of a guard, but now, he found himself acting in a little drama. Well, he supposed it might be fun to get a taste of the acting life. “Alright, I’ll go along with it.”

He followed the instructions, letting Jiang Yao go, then returned to ask Gu Zi, “Gu Zi, do you really believe what he said?”

Gu Zi smiled faintly, her voice calm. “I don’t believe him. I only believe in logic and facts. There are things I’m still uncertain about, which is why I need to keep my distance from Jiang Yao. We’ll use him as bait—maybe the truth will finally surface.”

Chen Xi’s curiosity was piqued. He couldn’t quite grasp how Gu Zi was so confident, as if she had already figured out who the real killer was. But she wouldn’t say, and he didn’t dare press her.

He glanced at the darkening sky and said, “Well, I’ve done my part. It’s getting late, I’ll head back and report in.”

Gu Zi saw Chen Xi off, a sense of relief washing over her. She no longer had to worry about Jiang Yao’s revenge. The “thief” they’d been worried about wasn’t here to steal—only to search for something. So, there was nothing to fear.

Later, after dinner, the evening air turned stifling. Gu Zi guessed it might rain soon.𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Yesterday afternoon, she had made mulberry ice cream and stored it in the freezer. After the three children finished their exercises and rested a bit, she took it out to serve them. “Here, this is a little bowl of ice cream for our little Lele. This one’s for the older brothers. Since it’s evening, we’ll each have one bowl. I’ll have this one.”

Gu Zi scooped a small bite of the ice cream and let it melt in her mouth. The rich flavor of mulberries and mint spread across her taste buds, followed by the subtle sweetness of milk. It was a smooth, icy sweetness, the perfect treat for a hot summer evening.

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