RMM -Chapter 188 A Feint in the Open, a Secret Crossing at Chencang

With each passing moment, the doubt in Xi Yuechen’s heart grew stronger, and the expression on his face inevitably became more solemn.

Why was it still a scene of cordial back-and-forth, an atmosphere of cheerful mingling at the banquet? There was no movement at all from the Zhao family, as if nothing important was going to happen tonight.

But what about Zhao’s shipment?

If that batch of goods wasn’t here, then even if they arrested all these people tonight, it would be pointless. Without evidence, what could they possibly charge them with?

In the blink of an eye, Xi Yuechen had made up his mind. No matter what, he could not leave empty-handed tonight.

He scanned the hall again, only to suddenly realize that Bai Xiong and Boss Zhao were nowhere to be seen!

Xi Yuechen’s heart stirred. His intuition told him that their disappearance was anything but ordinary—very likely connected to the night’s strange situation.

At such an extraordinary moment, nothing could be treated as routine. Xi Yuechen would not allow tonight to end in vain.

The most urgent task now was to find the two missing men and see if he could uncover any clues.

His gaze swept quietly across the hall once more. After spotting someone, he withdrew his eyes and stepped toward that person.

“Brother Liu, drinking alone?”

Liu Qi was taking small sips of his wine, one mouthful at a time. His expression looked somewhat indistinct in the shifting light and shadow, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

When he suddenly heard Xi Yuechen’s voice, his slightly furrowed brows relaxed at once. Turning his head, he smiled at Xi Yuechen.

“Just bored, that’s all. What, want to have a couple of drinks too?”

Xi Yuechen shook his head with a laugh. “No need for that. If you drink too much later, Brother Liu, I can still send you back.”

“Haha, you kid really know how to talk.” Liu Qi laughed heartily and didn’t press the matter. He turned back to look at the hall full of clinking glasses and lively chatter, lips pressed together, falling silent.

Xi Yuechen also grew quiet, asking nothing more, burying his earlier plans deep in his heart.

Something about Liu Qi felt off right now—not that anything was wrong with him as a person, but rather his attitude toward Xi Yuechen was strange.

Normally, whenever Liu Qi caught sight of Xi Yuechen, he would always tease him a bit, warm and friendly like a good brother. But now, something was different.

The change was subtle, but how could Xi Yuechen fail to sense it? Liu Qi was still smiling and talking to him, yet the smile no longer reached his eyes. His tone lacked its usual unrestrained ease, even his body language was different. Altogether, there was a faint sense of avoidance in how Liu Qi was treating him.

Still, it was only perfunctory. There was no trace of hostility. And it was precisely because of this that Xi Yuechen felt relieved—his identity had not been exposed.

At the same time, however, Liu Qi’s unusual behavior only deepened Xi Yuechen’s suspicions. He could tell that the sudden change in Liu Qi’s attitude was more about caution and avoidance. It felt even more like he didn’t want Xi Yuechen to know something—his eyes evasive, his attitude subdued.

But what could Liu Qi be hiding from him at this moment? And what matter would warrant such careful secrecy?

The answer was practically staring him in the face.

Zhao family’s shipment.

Xi Yuechen quickly sorted through the clues in his mind. Bai Xiong and Boss Zhao had suddenly disappeared. Liu Qi was still here, yet said nothing about Bai Xiong’s whereabouts, and even showed an evasive attitude toward him. All of this pointed to something abnormal about Bai Xiong and Boss Zhao’s movements.

Could it be… that the plan had changed tonight?

Xi Yuechen’s heart tightened, but his face remained unchanged, the stormy waves within him leaving no trace on his expression.

Liu Qi still trusted him; otherwise, at this moment, he wouldn’t merely be avoiding him verbally while leaving his expression largely unguarded. That was precisely why Xi Yuechen could detect something amiss so quickly.

In Liu Qi’s mind, Xi Yuechen was still trustworthy. Whatever the considerations, Liu Qi had never truly guarded against him—only mechanically refused to let him get closer.

And this change was most likely due to instructions from Bai Xiong. Otherwise, given Liu Qi’s usual habit of telling Xi Yuechen everything, such a shift would never have happened.

Thinking this through, Xi Yuechen was certain that something unusual was afoot tonight. As one of Bai Xiong’s trusted subordinates, he normally wouldn’t be deliberately kept in the dark about anything. Yet now, Bai Xiong had not only disappeared quietly, but had also instructed Liu Qi to be tight-lipped, revealing not the slightest hint.

Xi Yuechen understood: Liu Qi’s attitude wasn’t directed solely at him. Even if someone else came over, it would probably be the same. Bai Xiong… was deliberately concealing his activities tonight!

Annoyance flickered through Xi Yuechen. Bai Xiong truly lived up to his reputation as an old fox who had survived years in the underworld—so cautious, so circuitous in his methods. Even the earlier arrangements were likely meant to deliberately confuse everyone, a perfect case of feinting in one direction while striking in another. One careless step, and he really would have fallen for it tonight.

Still, Xi Yuechen also knew that Bai Xiong’s actions weren’t aimed at any single person. Beyond guarding against a possible traitor within Yan Sect, it was more about the ingrained caution he had developed over the years. As long as Xi Yuechen didn’t expose himself, he would remain safe.

Therefore, Xi Yuechen had no intention of acting rashly. He certainly wouldn’t do something foolish like using force to coerce Liu Qi into talking. If it worked, fine—but if tonight ended in failure, he would be exposed. And after that, eliminating Yan Sect would be far more difficult.

In just a few seconds, Xi Yuechen’s thoughts turned over countless times before settling back into calm. The warmth between his brows returned, just as it had always been.

“What are you standing here for? Why not go mingle with more people?” Liu Qi turned back, smiling as he urged him on. “You know opportunities like this don’t come often. Big Brother values you a lot.”

Liu Qi meant what he said. Tonight, Big Brother had personally taken him around to meet people—clearly a sign of recognition and an intention to groom Cheng Yue further. Naturally, Cheng Yue couldn’t let Big Brother’s goodwill go to waste.

Xi Yuechen caught the meaning in Liu Qi’s words and didn’t linger. Going along with it, he nodded and replied, “Alright, I’ll head over now.”

Liu Qi nodded, lightly rubbing the rim of his wineglass with his fingers. He thought of Big Brother’s earlier instructions and couldn’t help frowning slightly. Was Big Brother being overly cautious? To keep everyone in the dark like this—even guarding against their own brothers… was that really necessary?

Especially Cheng Yue. He had risked his life to save Big Brother, and afterward had always put Big Brother first in everything he did. Someone like that should have earned trust, shouldn’t he? Yet he was deceived just the same.

Forget it. Since Big Brother chose to do things this way, he must have his reasons. In the end, it was all for the good of Yan Sect, wasn’t it? Even if Cheng Yue found out later, he should be able to understand.

Still, as Liu Qi looked at the people in the hall, a cold curve lifted the corner of his mouth. Truly greedy, the lot of them. Not only meddling in the feud between Yan Sect and the Zhao family, but now all dressed up and here to watch the spectacle. Did they really think the world revolved according to their wishes?

Hmph. Tonight, they were probably going to leave disappointed after coming full of excitement.

Back when Big Brother had said he would make the Zhao family “hand over the goods” at the apology banquet, Liu Qi had sensed something was wrong. How could Big Brother make such a decision? He’d seen firsthand how cautious Big Brother was. No matter how pleased he was, no matter how much he wanted to humiliate the Zhao family, he shouldn’t have taken such a risk at the apology banquet. After all, one’s own interests always came first—there was no need to gamble everything for a moment of satisfaction.

He’d wanted to advise Bai Xiong, but in the very next second, realization dawned on him. If even he could see such a simple truth, how could Big Brother not? And yet he had announced it openly… Clearly, Big Brother was playing a game of “repairing the plank road in plain sight while secretly crossing at Chencang.”

With that, everything made sense. Big Brother’s move was truly brilliant—ensuring the safety of the handover while also giving those meddlesome old foxes a show to remember. Didn’t they like watching drama? Well, wasn’t this plot exciting enough?

He didn’t know when Big Brother had discussed it with Boss Zhao. By the time the apology banquet was already in its latter half, Liu Qi had been anxiously waiting, wondering why Big Brother still hadn’t made a move. Could it be that he really intended to have the Zhao family hand over the goods at the banquet?

It wasn’t until Big Brother quietly told him the plan that Liu Qi finally let out a breath of relief. That was more like it. There was no way they could bring out such valuable goods in a place teeming with mixed fish and dragons.

Yet Big Brother had told him not to say anything—keep it secret, tell no one, wait until he came back. And then, together with Boss Zhao beside him, he left the banquet hall.

Liu Qi had opened his mouth, wanting to ask whether “no one” included Cheng Yue as well. But in the end, he didn’t voice the question. Big Brother was deliberately keeping everyone in the dark, and even leaving without alerting anyone. He couldn’t ruin the plan with a single careless word.

As for Cheng Yue… since Big Brother had said not to tell anyone, that likely included Cheng Yue too. Fine then—he’d keep it from him for now. Even if he knew, it wouldn’t help much anyway.

What Liu Qi didn’t notice was that, while he was lost in thought, Xi Yuechen on the other side of the hall had accidentally brushed against a server. They separated quickly, without drawing anyone’s attention.

In that brief moment of passing, Xi Yuechen glanced at the slip of paper that had just been pressed into his hand. Two words were written on it:

Come out.

He raised an eyebrow, showing no extra reaction, calmly slipping the note into his trouser pocket. Then, as if nothing had happened, he exchanged a few words with the people beside him before walking back to Liu Qi.

“Brother Liu.”

Seeing Xi Yuechen again, Liu Qi couldn’t help asking curiously, “What is it now?”

“Nothing much—just a matter of nature calling,” Xi Yuechen smiled lightly. “I’m coming over to ask for leave to use the restroom.”

Liu Qi shot him a sideways glance. “I’m not tying you down. Do I really need to approve you going to the toilet?”

“I’m afraid you won’t see me later and think I’m slacking off,” Xi Yuechen joked, then added, “Alright then, you enjoy your drink. I’m off.”

“Scram, and hurry back,” Liu Qi said lazily, waving him away.

What he didn’t see was the flash of darkness that crossed Xi Yuechen’s eyes as he turned around, the faint chill that crept onto his face.