My Fortune-Blessed Leading Lady
Chapter 500: The Person in the Shadows

Chapter 500: Chapter 500: The Person in the Shadows

Country M, California, a certain manor.

The butler, dressed in uniform, stood stiffly behind an aristocratic lady, watching as her fingers turned white gripping the tablet—suddenly her expression whitened.

The butler bowed respectfully, placing his right hand on his breast in a standard salute, "Madam, there is really no need for you to be so anxious.

"The domestic affairs have been arranged by us long ago, and even now, losing a Ji Zexiu is not worth fussing over."

The butler’s face was devoid of emotion, and his words were equally unfeeling.

The aristocratic lady’s heart settled considerably, and she looked indirectly, staring at the butler who had served her for many years, and asked uncertainly, "Is that so?"

The butler nodded his head, "Of course, we are abroad; they cannot reach us, and furthermore... the situation with the young master Xi Gu hasn’t been settled yet, we don’t need to lose our reason so."

But the aristocratic lady still felt that everything was wrong, none of the plans she anticipated were on track.

That’s why she was exceptionally restless, uneasy.

"There hasn’t been any trouble on Xi Gu’s side, has there?"

The butler, "No trouble, although there has been some friction on the set recently, Young Master Xi Gu told me not to worry about it."

The aristocratic lady, "Hmm, I’ve always trusted him. The Xi Family, being where it is today, is all because of my machinations; I hope Xi Gu won’t let people down and will bring me back home soon."

She had been away from home for far too long, far too long.

The butler hummed in acknowledgment, "Madam, there’s something Young Master Xi Gu wanted me to ask you about."

"Speak."

"Young Master Xi Gu asked me to inquire whether the matter of Fu Yuran’s death and the private deals surrounding it have all been cleanly erased? Xi Nian’s eagerness to compete with Young Master Xi Gu suggests a high possibility it’s related to that. Currently, Xi Nian is manageable, holding no evidence in his hands;

"However, what Young Master Xi Gu is worried about is, if Xi Nian senses something, fearing his desperate actions, by then, not to mention achieving our plan of unifying the Xi Family, even he will not be able to protect himself."

Silence suddenly spread between the two, and the aristocratic lady’s complexion turned pale, "He’s grown up so much, doesn’t he have his own connections and way of doing things?

"Being led by the nose like this, he really shows great promise."

The butler knew when he should speak and when he should keep his mouth shut. He did not comment on the aristocratic lady’s words. Xi Gu was her son, she could scold and rage, but as a servant, he was not entitled to that privilege.

After venting her emotions, the aristocratic lady said, "Go and tell him it’s clean. All he needs to do is to beat Xi Nian, and then everything planned will become more than just plans."

The butler understood, "Madam, there’s one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Young Master Xi Gu asked, since Fu Yuran is already dead, the person Xi Nian is looking for no longer exists. Given that, why do you insist on not letting go of that girl? The girl with the same name as Fu Yuran? Because that girl is Bo Yan’s wife, the situation is trending towards complexity now.

"Young Master Xi Gu advises you to be cautious of everything around you because, as far as he knows, Bo Yan also has certain sources of information here and fears touching his bottom line."

The noblewoman’s hand, holding the teacup, suddenly tightened, and she lifted her head abruptly, "What did you say?"

The butler, dutiful as ever, repeated the entire matter, and the noblewoman stood up from her chair and paced back and forth, her underlying nervousness evident, "You know about this? Why didn’t you report it?"

Hiding a shadow in his eyes, the butler apologized, "Madam, I apologize, before this, I was dealing with other matters outside, I didn’t pay attention to these trivial matters, and thus missed the optimal time to know the truth, I thought, Madam, you knew before me."

The noblewoman’s face looked extremely ugly, seemingly remembering something that twisted her expression, "Keep me updated on this matter, and also, that fool Ji Zexiu, why did he provoke Bo Yan?"

The butler looked puzzled, "Madam, do we need to pay special attention to this Bo Yan?"

The noblewoman appeared somewhat distracted and after a quiet moment, she spoke indifferently, "It’s not about anything else, but the Bo Family, we cannot afford to provoke; the Bo Family has an excellent relationship with the Si Family, have you forgotten that the eldest son of the Si Family has been stationed in this country for over twenty years?"

Enlightenment dawned on the butler, then everything made sense.

His complexion appeared slightly troubled, "I will have someone look after Ji Zexiu."

The noblewoman’s pale face nodded, "Good, get it done quickly. Those who cannot speak are best at keeping secrets."

The butler’s expression flickered but he nodded firmly, "Yes, Madam."

...

Bo Yan returned home to find his mother still up, waiting for him. Seeing her son’s exceptionally grim expression, Bo’s mom was taken aback, it had been many years since she’d seen such a dark countenance. Upon seeing his mother, Bo Yan immediately reined in all the hostility he was radiating, and his face softened, "Mom, haven’t you slept yet?"

Bo’s mom hummed in acknowledgment and looked at him, "You don’t look well, there is some soup left for you in the kitchen, would you like some?"

"Yes, that would be great, Mom. You go rest."

Bo’s mom watched him with concern, "Xiaoqi, are you... never mind, you’ve always been a child with your own ideas, what am I asking all this for.

After you finish the soup, go sleep with Zhizhi, he was here waiting for you half an hour ago, the little guy didn’t want to go to his own room, he’s in your and the baby’s bedroom;

Before bed, he was worried you would carry him back to his room in the middle of the night, let me tell you, I promised Zhizhi that I would persuade you to let him sleep with you, so don’t let me down."

The remaining coldness on Bo Yan’s face melted away, replaced by a gentle warmth that gradually climbed up his cheeks, tenderness in his eyes. He placed his hand on Bo’s mom’s shoulder, urging her to rest, "Yeah, I know, I won’t let you down, Mom. Go get some sleep; I’ll head to the kitchen myself."

Bo’s mom saw that his complexion had improved somewhat and nodded, "Alright then, after you finish the soup, head up to rest, it’s getting late."

"Okay."

When Bo Yan returned to his room, he saw Zhizhi sprawled out asleep, wearing just a diaper and a small undershirt that had rolled up to his belly, hands balled into fists resting under his chin, sleeping soundly.

He walked over, tucked Zhizhi in properly, and turned to head for the bathroom. Before bedtime, he left a gentle, indulgent kiss on Zhizhi’s forehead. Zhizhi, in a sleepy daze, felt the presence next to him and wiggled like a caterpillar into Bo Yan’s embrace.

Somewhat muddled, he tried but failed to fully open his eyes, "Daddy."

His voice was soft and endearing, melting Bo Yan’s heart with warmth. His large hand rubbed over his little head, his voice filled with love as he whispered in his ear, "Baby, Daddy’s back now, go to sleep, okay?"

Zhizhi rested his little head in the crook of his father’s shoulder, stuffing both Little Fatty hands into Bo Yan’s neck, hugging him tightly, finally finding security and drifting back to sleep with a faint smile on his lips. Bo Yan chuckled to himself, accepting his son’s sleeping posture as indisputable.