"Hey," the first guard asked in a low, anxious voice, "do you think there's any chance what she said is right?"
"I don't know," the second guard replied, his voice equally hushed. "But we can't just let her in, and we can't send her away without knowing more. We have to be careful."
They exchanged a worried glance. Their fear was almost tangible, a heavy weight pressing on their chests.
Just as they debated what to do next, the low, smooth purr of a powerful engine broke the tension. The sound was deep, rich, and unmistakably elegant. It came from the street, growing louder as a luxurious black carriage—sleek and shining—glided toward the Li family gate. This wasn't an ordinary car. Only the wealthiest could afford such a machine, and its very presence radiated immense power and authority.
The carriage came to a near-silent stop in front of the imposing main gate, its polished surface reflecting the soft morning light. The passenger door opened, and a tall, handsome man emerged with a quiet grace. He wore a sharp, professional suit: a slim-fitting, dark grey single-breasted jacket with narrow lapels, paired with high-waisted trousers that displayed a sharp crease along the front. His crisp white shirt was buttoned neatly to the top, and a simple, elegant tie completed the look.
He moved with the confidence of a man used to power, every step measured, every glance precise. He looked every bit the modern, capable businessman of his time.
The two guards, now visibly tense, immediately snapped to attention, their bodies stiffening. They bowed deeply, a full ninety degrees, their voices filled with respect—and just a touch of fear.
"Welcome, Adjutant Xu!" they chorused in unison.
Adjutant Xu, the right-hand man of Li Mingxuan, was well-known within the Li family's empire as a man of exceptional competence and influence. His sharp eyes took in their nervous faces and hesitant posture, instantly sensing that something was amiss.
Without a word of anger or reproach, he simply gestured with a slight jerk of his head to one of the guards, signaling him to take the car inside to the garage. Then, his gaze settled on the other guard, still standing rigidly at attention, and he prepared to speak.
"Tell me. What happened here?"
Adjutant Xu's voice was not loud, but it carried a weight that pressed down on the air. It was calm, steady, but there was no space in it for excuses. His words slid into the guard's ears like cold steel.
As he spoke, he adjusted his glasses with one finger, pushing them up the bridge of his nose. The movement was small, but the light caught the glass at just the right angle, and for a brief moment, his eyes seemed to flash. Behind those lenses was not kindness, not even anger, but something sharper—calculation.
The guard who was questioned froze. His throat went dry, and he could feel sweat prickling under his collar. He wanted to look away, but Xu's eyes held him like iron chains. His lips moved, and when he finally spoke, his voice trembled.
"Master Xu… a woman came earlier today. She—she said her name was Ji Yu. She claimed she was Master Li's wife from his home village in the countryside." His words stumbled over each other, but he forced them out, afraid to stop. "We—we thought it was nonsense. We didn't know what to do. She said she would be staying at a nearby hotel and that she would return again."
The guard stopped there, lowering his head as though he had committed some great crime.
For a moment, silence filled the space. Xu's face didn't change, but something about his eyes grew deeper, heavier, like he was sifting through memories, reaching back to things only the old household might know. The guards watched him nervously, waiting, but he gave nothing away.
Then, in a voice quieter than before, yet somehow more serious, he said:
"I understand. Listen carefully. From this moment on, do not speak of this to anyone else. Not a single word. If she comes again, you will report to me directly, and only to me. Keep this matter completely secret. Do you understand?"
The guard who had spoken felt his heart skip. His head bobbed up and down like a chicken pecking grain. "Yes, Master Xu! We understand!" His partner followed at once, nodding just as hard, their fear plain on their faces.
Xu gave them no more than a brief glance before turning away, his polished shoes tapping softly against the stone ground. His back was straight, his steps precise, every line of his body showing discipline and control. Even as he walked toward the main house, he seemed to carry the whole weight of the Li family's dignity on his shoulders.
Only when he had disappeared inside did the guards dare to breathe again.
The two men exchanged a look. Their faces were pale, their eyes wide, their earlier laughter and mockery nowhere to be found. The meaning of Xu's words was clear. He had not laughed. He had not dismissed the woman's claim as some peasant's trick. He had taken it seriously.
The taller guard whispered first, his voice low and shaky. "Did you hear him? He didn't deny it. He didn't say we were fooled."
The other nodded quickly. "That means… that means what she said might be true. She might really be…" He trailed off, the words too heavy to finish.
"Master Li's wife," the first whispered, the phrase feeling strange on his tongue.
The thought hit them like a hammer. Both men remembered how they had laughed at her, mocked her, called her crazy right to her face. If she truly was the legal wife of the future head of the Li family, then what they had done was not just rude—it was dangerous.
The second guard's hands were cold as he rubbed them together. "If the Madam hears about this… we're finished. Do you understand? If she tells the Master we laughed at his wife, our jobs, our homes—everything's gone!"
The first guard shuddered. "Don't talk about it! Master Xu said to keep quiet. If he hears we even whispered—"
Both men clamped their mouths shut.
The silence that followed was heavy. Each man's mind raced back to Ji Yu's tall figure, her calm face, her quiet voice. At the time, they had thought she was just a country woman trying to bluff her way in. But now, after hearing Xu's orders, her words felt sharp and undeniable. She had spoken with such certainty. She had given names, places, family connections. That wasn't the way a liar talked.
The guards shifted uncomfortably in their posts, each stealing nervous glances at the other.
"She said she would come back," the second whispered finally. "What do we do then?"
The first swallowed hard. "What can we do? Exactly what Master Xu told us. We report to him. And we pray—pray she doesn't remember our faces."
The second gave a weak nod, his stomach twisting into knots.
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