The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: News About Her

At the same time, Cao Deping, who had rushed over behind Cao Chengwen, froze on the spot, a chill running through him.

’It’s over.’

Things had come to this. The evidence was ironclad, irrefutable!

Many people in the crowd noticed his arrival, their expressions varied as they began to murmur amongst themselves.

”Isn’t that Boss Cao?”

”The older son killed the younger one... Tsk, any family that goes through this must be cursed with terrible luck!”

”Who can they blame? Cao Deping himself played favorites, and that favoritism is what led to this disaster!”

”Exactly! Besides, who knows if he was involved? They say no one knows a son better than his father. Cao Chengwen killed Cao Chengwu. Others might not have known what was going on, but how could he, the father, not have sensed something was wrong?”

Hearing this, a hint of suspicion appeared in many people’s eyes.

Cao Deping shuddered. In that very instant, he made his decision.

”Wretched son!”

He bellowed suddenly, his face ashen.

”Chengwu always respected you as his older brother! Your conscience must have been eaten by dogs for you to lay such a vicious hand on him!”

As he spoke, a hush fell over the vast execution ground.

Cao Chengwen looked back in disbelief. ”...Father?”

’What does he mean by that? Is he telling me to just plead guilty!?’

Cao Deping pointed a finger at him, his face contorted with rage and resentment. ”Today you dared to kill your brother behind my back, which means tomorrow you could kill me! From this day forward, our father-son relationship is severed! I, Cao Deping, will act as if I never had a son like you!”

Ye Chutang stood behind the crowd, quietly appreciating the scene. ’I almost want to applaud.’

’Say what you will, but this Cao Deping is certainly a ruthless character.’

Seeing that this son was a lost cause, he didn’t hesitate to push him into the abyss just to extricate himself completely.

Previously, he had gone to great lengths to protect Cao Chengwen, making it seem as if he cared deeply for his son. But in reality, when it came down to it, the only person he truly cared about was himself.

’Better to strike first than to be investigated and fall under suspicion!’

Cao Chengwen thought he was hearing things.

He looked down from the execution platform at that familiar face, but now it seemed like that of a complete stranger.

He truly never imagined that when he was in his most desperate hour, the first to abandon him would be his own flesh and blood.

Yang Zhen narrowed his eyes. ”Cao Chengwen, do you have anything else to say now?”

With both witness testimony and physical evidence, the verdict was sealed!

Cao Chengwen’s hands, hanging at his sides, slowly clenched into fists. His heart felt desolate and filled with a bitter, laughable irony.

And he did indeed laugh.

”Father.”

His expression was strange, the rims of his eyes faintly red.

”After all these years, you still haven’t changed. From start to finish, I was the only fool.”

The smile on his lips grew wider until he finally burst out laughing.

”It was me! I killed him! So what! He deserved to die! Why should a useless idiot who can’t do anything right compete with me!”

An uproar swept through the crowd!

Although by this point everyone could see that Cao Chengwen must have done it, hearing him confess so brazenly was still shocking.

At that moment, a shrill, hateful scream suddenly pierced the air.

”You butcher! Give me back my son!”

Everyone turned to see that the newcomer was none other than Mrs. Cao of the Cao Family!

Ever since the incident with Cao Chengwu, she had fallen gravely ill and hadn’t been seen in a long time.

Cao Deping’s heart leaped, and he immediately stepped forward. ”Didn’t I tell you to stay home and recuperate? Why—”

Mrs. Cao shoved him aside, glaring at him with venomous eyes. ”You can stop your acting! He killed Chengwu, and you knew about it all along, didn’t you!”

She looked haggard, with dark circles under her eyes, clearly having endured immense pain and suffering.

”If you hadn’t kept covering for him, how would he have ever gotten so bold! He should have died long ago! He should join Chengwu in death!”

Cao Deping’s breath hitched, and he immediately rebuked her, ”Are you mad! What nonsense are you spouting here!”

Mrs. Cao gritted her teeth and spat, ”You dare say it’s not true!? Besides Chengwu, there were those three—”

Hearing this, Cao Deping’s eyelid twitched violently. Without a second thought, he raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face!

SLAP!

The resounding slap was exceptionally clear in the quiet of the execution ground.

Cao Deping was so furious his expression was utterly ghastly. ”Get back home!”

He had put all his strength into that slap, and one side of Mrs. Cao’s face immediately began to swell and turn red.

This completely enraged Mrs. Cao. She screamed, ”You won’t let me speak? Well, I’m going to! Cao Deping! Do you think everything you do is seamless!? I was in the next room that day and clearly heard you promise Cao Chengwen silver notes to go to the casino and hire people! A few days later, those men were dead in Cao Chengwen’s courtyard!”

Mrs. Cao spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, completely indifferent to the uproar her words were causing.

A vein throbbed in Cao Deping’s temple. He knew if he didn’t stop her now, he would be done for today as well!

Without another word, his face ashen, he strode forward, grabbed Mrs. Cao’s wrist, and immediately tried to drag her away.

But the crowd was packed three layers deep. How could they possibly get out?

A stinging pain shot through Mrs. Cao’s body as he dragged her.

But she didn’t care.

Her son was dead. Her only reason for living had been murdered, so she had nothing left to live for!

’It’s better if we all go to hell together!’

She shrieked, ”You and Cao Chengwen know best how those three men really died!”

...

Up in the teahouse, a gentle breeze stirred, lifting a curtain before letting it drift back down.

A figure had silently appeared across from Shen Yanchuan.

It was Xie Anbai.

He seemed to have arrived in a hurry, grabbing a teacup and downing its contents the moment he sat down.

Only when his thirst was quenched did he let out a long sigh, set the cup down, and look out the window, unable to resist smiling and clapping.

”What a magnificent, spectacular show!”

Shen Yanchuan finally cast a sidelong glance at him.

Xie Anbai had only arrived in Jiangling yesterday, yet in less than a day, he already knew the ins and outs of the whole affair. It could only be said that—

”You really do love a good spectacle.”

Shen Yanchuan gave his calm, objective assessment.

Back in the Capital City, Xie Anbai had always loved digging up information, especially the secrets of the great families. He could speak about them as if he were an expert.

’To think he’d come here and still have the same old habit.’

Xie Anbai could, of course, tell this wasn’t a compliment. ”Hey, what’s with you? I just did a little digging. Is it really that big of a deal?”

Suddenly, he paused, a smug smile spreading across his face.

”By the way, I happened to find out a little something about that Doctor Ye. Care to hear it?”

Shen Yanchuan’s eyes twitched slightly, and he finally gave him his full attention.

”What is it?”

Xie Anbai leaned back, snapped open his folding fan, and lifted his chin with flamboyant arrogance.

”You want to know? Well... what will you give me in return?”