NFBE Chapter 1941 A Master's Skill, A Common Skill, A Master's Skill
Chapter 1941 A Master's Skill, A Common Skill, A Master's Skill
Wang Defa and Song Ziming both gasped in unison, as if the chill of the winter night had instantly seeped into their bones.
"Holy crap? No...no way, right?" Wang Defa's voice trembled, his eyes wide as he stared intently at the now-empty alleyway, as if he could see right through it. "Miss Cuihua? Her...her father was just rescued from the jaws of death by you!"
“She almost cried herself to death that day. Could that be faked? And these past few days, she’s been genuinely good to Xitang, her aunt, her grandmother, and Ruobai! She never shirks her responsibilities when helping with chores, and most importantly, she hasn’t taken a single penny!”
He stared at Li Xiangnan, incredulous, and said, "If this is all acting, then what kind of role must she be playing?!"
Song Ziming also felt a chill run down his spine, and said in a tight voice, "Brother Nan, what is your speculation based on? Just because Little Buddha might want to send someone in, and Miss Cuihua happens to come to our courtyard often? Isn't your deduction a bit too coincidental? Besides, we asked Old Lan about his poisoning, and he was also set up. He was a victim too!"
Li Xiangnan did not immediately refute, but narrowed his eyes slightly, as if sorting through the clues in his mind.
"What if I say that the design itself is part of the process? Can we be certain that Old Lan's poisoning was 'accidental'?"
Li Xiangnan paused, took out a cigarette and offered it to the two of them, "As for the basis... I'm only assessing the possibility right now, it's a deduction based on the opponent's behavior patterns!"
He turned around and handed the lighter to the two men, saying coldly, "Don't forget, Young Master's goal is very clear. He wants to find out whether my grandmother, Mu Huanying, is in the courtyard house and the secret she's guarding... All his previous actions have revolved around this goal! And he also knows very well that the key is here, within these courtyard walls, he can't reach her!"
Li Xiangnan exhaled a puff of smoke and asked, "What would a skilled hunter do when both a frontal assault and flanking maneuvers prove ineffective?"
Wang Defa and Song Ziming exchanged a glance and shook their heads slightly. They knew the answer, but they didn't have time to think about it in detail.
Li Xiangnan asked himself and answered, "He would try to make the prey open a crack on its own, or send one of his own people to the prey. What kind of person would he send?"
"First, it must be reasonable, so that this person doesn't arouse suspicion; second, she should be able to enter and leave the courtyard relatively freely, and even have gained a certain degree of trust; third, it's best if she has some emotional bond or gratitude to her, so that her behavior is more natural and it's easier to obtain information!"
"A neighbor girl who was taken in because she was grateful to my Li family for saving her father's life, and who was also a simple and hardworking person, was taken in because she often came to help in the yard..."
As Li Xiangnan finished speaking, he looked at the two men through the thin layer of smoke.
"Let me ask you, is there anyone more suitable than Lan Cuihua?"
"Gender, age, identity, motivation—almost perfect!"
"If I were Little Buddha, I would use the poisoning incident to make Lan Cuihua contact us, and then prepare for the next step. Taking advantage of Lan Cuihua's ability to enter the courtyard, I would begin my plan!"
"Perhaps, the man who came to the courtyard pretending to be sick was a novice, Cheng Kui from the Red Star Clinic was a skilled one, and Lan Cuihua was a master! This young master's intelligence is definitely enough to make such a meticulously planned scheme, and everything is under his control!"
"hiss!"
These words sent chills down Wang Defa and Song Ziming's spines.
They had experienced the intelligence of the young master firsthand. Whether it was the feigning sick man, Cheng Kui, or Lan Cuihua, the three of them intervened in a clever and interconnected manner, catching people off guard.
If Li Xiangnan hadn't possessed far superior wisdom and strategy, he would have perished long ago in these events!
These words jolted them awake, and both of them broke out in a cold sweat.
They are not stupid, but they have never examined the people and things around them with such a dark and meticulous perspective!
Now that Li Xiangnan has so meticulously exposed these details, those warm and cozy everyday scenes seem to be shrouded in an indescribable and unsettling shadow.
Lan Cuihua blushed as she accepted the apple Tang Qingshuang handed her.
She carefully held little Xitang and sang nursery rhymes.
Her profile as she bent down to mend the bed sheet.
The beads of sweat on her forehead were visible as she helped cook!
hiss!
Don't think too deeply about it.
"What if... what if we're overthinking it?" Wang Defa said in a hoarse voice, still holding onto a sliver of hope: "Lan Cuihua is our neighbor in this alley. Maybe she really is grateful to the Li family for saving her life. Maybe she's just a kind-hearted person? Is it too much for us to doubt her like this?"
"That's why I said it's just a 'possibility,' a possibility we must be wary of!" Li Xiangnan's tone softened a bit, but his eyes remained alert: "I haven't concluded that she's the undercover agent! Perhaps we're being too paranoid! However, when facing an opponent like Little Buddha, it's better to think three steps ahead than to be careless! We can't afford the price of negligence, the Li family can't afford it, and neither can Grandma!"
Wang Defa wiped his face, forcing himself to calm down.
"Xiao Li, you're right, we have to be careful! But what do we do now? If, and I mean if, Miss Lan really has a problem, should we follow her now and catch her red-handed? Or what?"
Li Xiangnan shook his head.
“Following her now will only alert her. If she is innocent, our abrupt pursuit will only alienate people and damage neighborly relations!”
"If she really is a pawn, going now might not actually yield any real evidence, and it would only let her and the people behind her know that we've become suspicious!"
He pondered for a moment, his eyes gleaming.
"What we need to do now is to first assume this worst-case scenario and then plan accordingly!"
"Layout?" Song Ziming asked, puzzled.
“Yes!” Li Xiangnan nodded. “There are two possibilities. First, we’re overthinking it. The young master isn’t that despicable, or he hasn’t had a chance to use Lan Cuihua yet. His mind is already preoccupied with Pudu Temple. Lan Cuihua is still Lan Cuihua, and the courtyard is still the same courtyard. It was a false alarm, which is the best possible outcome!”
"Second!" His tone turned serious. "If Lan Cuihua has truly been bribed or coerced into working for them!"
Wang Defa was furious: "Coercion? Using her father?"
"That's right, it's possible. Old Lan's life, since he could use it to control Lan Cuihua the first time, he might be able to use it a second time! He is a warning that could happen at any time!"
Li Xiangnan's eyes were icy: "Young Master Buddha always acts without restraint! If this situation persists... I think given Lan Cuihua's personality, we might still have a chance!"
"What opportunity?" the two asked in unison, suddenly becoming tense.
"A counter-espionage plot!"
The three words "Li Xiangnan" were not spoken loudly, but they made Wang Defa and Song Ziming tremble. Their eyes suddenly lit up with disbelief and shock.