It was two o’clock in the morning.

“Sister Hong, old Mr. Jin lost everything he bet again,” said the waiter, handing her the money.

“So be it. If he comes by again tomorrow, continue making him lose. This is an order from our boss,” Sister Hong instructed, holding a cigarette between her fingers. She was dressed in a short dress that ended at her thighs, exuding a sultry charm.

“But wouldn’t we arouse suspicion if we put him on a losing streak?”

“You don’t have to care about that. If he wants to change the players, just send another one of us.”

“Got it.” The waiter turned around to go out.

Sister Hong scanned the surveillance camera monitors on the wall and laid her eyes upon a particular figure.

She snubbed her cigarette butt into the ashtray and walked out coquettishly.

Shortly after, she walked toward the table at which the man she had been eying was sitting. She approached him and said, “Wow, Mr. Ye, you actually have the time to drop by for a game of cards?”

“Why? Am I not welcome here?” Ye Xiaotian answered without turning to look at her.

“You’re most welcome. It’s just so rare to see you here,” said Sister Hong, gazing at him while leaning against the table.

“I rarely have the time to gamble a little.”

Sister Hong smiled and shifted her gaze to a woman who was not too far away from them.”Is that your wife?” she asked.

Ye Xiaotian turned to take a look before turning back to finish his game and collect his winnings.

He then turned around to leave immediately.

Mo Li noticed that he was walking toward her while her eyes were darting around to look for him.

“Xiaotian.”

“Why did you come here?”

“To look for you.”

He held her hand and walked out. “How did you know I was here?”

Mo Li was at a loss for an answer. She obviously could not tell him that she had secretly installed a GPS tracker on his mobile phone so as to receive updates of his whereabouts at all times.

Although he had the fingerprint tracker function embedded within his mobile phone, she long knew exactly how to delete her fingerprints from the database. After all, she had been by his side for years.

“My classmate told me that she saw you at the entrance.”

“Which classmate?”

“Um… just a former classmate of mine whom I rarely keep in touch with. It’s already past midnight. Why are you here at the casino instead of going home?” Mo Li questioned, feeling a little fatigued.

“I came to have a few games. I’ve always won when it comes to gambling.”

After exiting the casino and getting into the car, Mo Li could not help but say, “I know you’re unhappy because things haven’t been running smoothly at the company, but could you stop coming home so late?”

Ye Xiaotian did not respond and continued to drive home.

Mo Li turned to look at him, feeling rather frustrated and upset.

They remained silent throughout the rest of the journey, and Ye Xiaotian went to bed immediately upon arriving home.

“Xiaotian, go take a shower.”

He closed his eyes and refused to budge.

Mo Li took his shoes off his feet and climbed onto the bed to lie down beside him.

He seemed to have nothing to say to her.

Mo Li did not probe any further either.

After switching off the lights, she lay in bed and, in the pitch darkness of the room, stared blankly at the ceiling above.

She felt her eyes getting a little dry.

She then turned to lie on her side, facing the window. Mo Li did not sleep well for the rest of the night.

She repeatedly woke up and fell asleep before waking up again.

At last, she woke up to find that it was already bright outside and that he was no longer beside her.

Mo Li felt lost and upset.

She could empathize with his feelings and had been very understanding toward him. Knowing that she could not be of any help to him, she tried her best not to get in his way or become a stumbling block.

However, she had feelings too.

She was only human, after all.

Mo Li sat by the bed, feeling a strong urge to cry all of a sudden, but she could not manage to.

Mrs. Ye pushed the door open and instructed, “Why are you just sitting here and staring into space? I bought you some Chinese herbal medicine. I’ve already instructed the kitchen helpers to brew them for you, hurry and finish it.”

“Yes.” She stood up from the bed and proceeded to freshen up before making her way downstairs.

There was a large bowl of herbal medicine on the dining table.

“You have to drink a bowl of this daily for half a month. I’ve already made the calculations. It’ll be nearing your ovulation window by the time you finish the medicine. There’ll be a 95% chance that you’ll carry a baby boy then.”

Mo Li did not utter a single word and chugged the bowl of medicine down in one sitting.

“Very good. You must drink it consistently,” Mrs. Ye said in delight.

“Xiaotian ought to drink it too, doesn’t he?”

“No, it’s especially meant for you. It’s said to alter the pH levels of your blood and the environment inside your body. It’ll be easier to give birth to a boy that way.”

Mo Li took a gulp of plain water to wash down the bitterness in her mouth. She did not know if the medicine would really work, but she yearned greatly to give birth to a son soon, so as to please her mother-in-law and her husband.

“I noticed that you’ve been in high spirits the past few days. Is it because Jin Qingyan’s mother is dead?” Gu Dongcheng asked while placing a glass of milk on the table.

Xu Youran looked at him and exclaimed, “Of course. If it weren’t because of her, would my mother have died back then? She’s the cause of it all!”

“It’s her retribution, I guess. She died of an illness.”

Xu Youran let out a sly, mysterious smile and said, “That’s just an excuse Jin Qingyan gave to avoid making his mother look bad.”

“What do you mean?”

“His mother didn’t die of an illness. Hubby, you must’ve never expected this, but his mother died in my hands,” said Xu Youran, taking a few sips of milk.

“Why do you say so?” Gu Dongcheng asked in astonishment.

Xu Youran explained everything to him unhurriedly, after which she chuckled maliciously and said, “Hubby, it’s a tried-and-tested, foolproof method to harm the people you want to deal with. We’ll be able to get rid of the thorns in our flesh without arousing suspicion at all.”

Gu Dongcheng was greatly taken aback. “Is it really that potent?”

“Of course. I tried to seek the help of a medium to put a hex on your stepmother back then, but An Xiaoning managed to break the curse because the ritual was too short and simple. But things are different now. This method is way faster, and it has the ability to make one die a horrible and excruciating death in no time.”

Gu Dongcheng swallowed his breath and remarked, “That’s incredible. I used to think that such curses would only bring about pain and discomfort to the victim. I never knew they could be used to end lives.”

“That’s what I call killing without a trace.” Xu Youran finished her milk slowly and slammed the empty glass onto the table before saying, “I already have my next target.”

“Don’t tell me it’s An Xiaoning?”

“It’s not her turn yet.” Xu Youran stood up and placed both arms around his neck. “Hubby, the next in line is my father.”

“Put your father on hold for now. How about making Beicheng your next target? Kill your father after we’ve gotten rid of Beicheng and Lin Mingxi. Will that do?” Gu Dongcheng asked eagerly.

“That works too. After all, the Gu Corporation will belong to you once they’re gone,” Xu Youran agreed.

Gu Dongcheng gave her a peck on her cheek, all worked up and excited. “Honey, just how are you so capable?”

“Did you forget who I am? I’m your wife. Hubby, do you know your brother’s birth characters?”

Shaking his head, Gu Dongcheng answered, “I don’t. I suppose only my parents know about it. I’m only three years older than him. I don’t have any recollection of when he was born at all.”

“Okay, then your task now is to come up with a way to find out his birth characters. Your stepmother definitely wouldn’t reveal them to you. It’s time to dupe your father now. Ask him out for a few drinks together, get him drunk, and then sound him out. Once we have his exact birth timing and birth characters, it’ll be easy to get hold of his clothes,” Xu Youran suggested.

“Alright. I was wondering why you called me home. Turns out it’s because of this. Fortunately, I didn’t make a wasted trip,” said a pleased Gu Dongcheng.

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