Li Xiu continued to report, "Miss Chi's mother, Chi Yu, only took up her position at the Royal Academy in DK after returning to the country. She is a vocal music professor... Before this, the lives of mother and daughter had been quite ordinary. Everything changed several months ago when Chi Yu's ex-husband suddenly appeared..."
"What kind of change?" Helian Chengyan's brows slightly furrowed.
Li Xiu related the details of his findings.
"Chi Yu's ex-husband is called Wen Guofeng, the chairman of the Wen Corporation. He is ruthless, slick, and profits-minded. Before marrying Chi Yu 20 years ago, he already had a mistress and illegitimate child. He married Chi Yu, the only daughter of the Chi Corporation who was of our DK noble status, out of self-interest. However, the marriage only lasted a year. In this year, Wen Guofeng swallowed the entire Chi Corporation... Chi Yu found out about his mistress and child and his motives for marrying her... She was unable to tolerate such marital disloyalty. To divorce him, Chi Yu left with nothing but the clothes on her back..."
"At present, the Wen Corporation is experiencing severe financial issues due to mismanagement, with massive losses. Wen Guofeng has been seeking to form business alliances with some renowned noble corporations..."
For a civilian corporation like the Wen Corporation, establishing connections with the nobility could not only help resolve their current crisis, but undoubtedly lend the corporation some prestige, propelling it to new heights!
"To form alliances with the nobility, the two daughters that Wen Guofeng and his current wife have are not promising candidates... At the time when Wen Guofeng divorced Chi Yu, he didn't know that Chi Yu was pregnant. He found out a few months ago unintentionally that his ex-wife had given birth to his daughter... Although the Chi Family is in decline, Miss Chi is still a noble heiress. This perfectly solved Wen Guofeng's urgent problem. Hence, for the past few months, he's been thinking about incorporating Miss Chi into his family, attempting to have her adopt his family name... He wants to arrange her marriage to the son of a noble, in exchange for enormous benefits... Miss Chi naturally resisted, and Wen Guofeng would not give up until he accomplished his goal. He used countless despicable methods, pressuring Miss Chi to submit to his arrangement, pushing Miss Chi and her mother to the brink of homelessness..."
Upon hearing this, Helian Chengyan's brows knitted tightly.
His crimson eyes were tinged with an intimidating chill.
"I am guessing the reason Miss Chi stubbornly stays at your highness's castle, refusing to leave, is likely that she wants to evade the arranged marriage by Wen Guofeng..." After Li Xiu finished his report, he added his own personal opinion.
The background of anyone who gets close to his highness needs to be thoroughly investigated. This is not just about his highness's safety but also the security of the entire royal family and DK.
However, Li Xiu intuitively believed that, even though Miss Chi is smart, she is not a scheming person with ulterior motives living in the castle.
"Investigate thoroughly, who does Wen Guofeng want to marry her off to?"
The coldness in Helian Chengyan's voice, his tight facial expressions, and his deep crimson eyes seemed to suggest that he was unhappy.
"Yes, your highness." Li Xiu nodded.
It seems his highness is becoming more and more interested in Miss Chi.
"Furthermore, investigate what she's been doing during the two months of her vacation."
Helian Chengyan, with his acute and precise judgement, is able to notice the finest detail.
He didn't believe that Chi Xingye's background is as simple as Li Xiu reported.
She's undoubtedly a person of intellect. Unless forced, she wouldn't reveal her abilities easily. Take, for instance, when he sent Han Xishi to make things difficult for her. No matter how harsh things got, her initial tolerance was impressive, as though she didn't want to attract attention. Once she started to resist and showed her true self, it was truly an eye-opening sight!
Are there others who possess such cunning and sophistication?
Just as Helian Chengyan was about to leave for a meeting, he remembered another matter that he had asked Li Xiu to investigate.
"Did you find out how she got acquainted with my grandfather?"
"I did." Li Xiu nodded.
"A few months ago, the old emperor held a chess tournament at the Royal Chess Club, and Miss Chi participated..."
She can play chess too?
Helian Chengyan was slightly surprised.
His grandfather has been consumed by his passion for chess, playing it daily ever since he abdicated the throne over 20 years ago. There's hardly a worthy opponent in the royal family or the entire DK. Bored, his grandfather organized this tournament, and Helian Chengyan knew about it. His grandfather even took $10 million from his personal funds to reward the winner.
You can tell how passionate he is about chess!
"Among the thousands that participated, Miss Chi made it to the final round. Moreover, she was the only one among the ten finalists who defeated the old emperor."
"...Ha!"
She really is a jack of all trades!
The always cold and deep Helian Chengyan showed a rare smile on his face, full of meaning.
His emotions were mixed.
Astonishment? Surprise? Impressed? Or something else...
"Miss Chi wanted to leave after receiving the prize money. The rare worthy opponent excited the old emperor who insisted on having a few more rounds with her..." Speaking of the regrettable behavior of the old emperor, Li Xiu's tone was tinged with a hint of excitement.
Helian Chengyan frowned, his gaze icy, he interrupted him, "Li Xiu, watch your words!"
"Yes." Li Xiu stiffened, quickly correcting himself, "The old emperor asked Miss Chi to play a few more rounds with him. He even offered hefty rewards - one million for each win. They played for three days and nights, and the old emperor lost nine digits..."
She was bold enough to win!
Helian Chengyan snorted.
"According to the personal guard of the old emperor, the old emperor was very happy while losing. He even wanted to keep...um...requested Miss Chi to stay and continue the game. He even said if she could win again, she could name the reward. By that time, Miss Chi was so tired that she could barely lift her eyelids. She said offhandedly that no amount of money could persuade her to continue. All she wanted was a safe place to stay and a good night's sleep..."
"So, the old emperor brought Miss Chi to your highness' castle and arranged for her to stay..."
"..." Helian Chengyan massaged his forehead, speechless.
"Of all the places in DK, he had to send her to me?"
Li Xiu didn't catch the complaint from his highness and thought he was asking for a reason.
He replied, "As for the reason why Miss Chi was made to stay here at your highness's place, perhaps only the old emperor himself knows."
——
Deep into the night.
As soon as the sound of a car was heard outside the window, Chi Xingye's instinct kicked in and she sprang up from the bed.
When Helian Chengyan returned to his castle at an unearthly hour, he saw Chi Xingye standing on the stairs. With her hands crossed over her chest, looking down on him from above, she stared at him coldly like a queen...