Chapter 57: Fox Borrowing Tiger's Fierceness

Chu Zhongtian also stood up and said, "Xiao An, I know you want to do your part for the Chu family, and your heart is in the right place, but... ah, you don't need to dwell on this matter too much. We'll handle the grand competition."

With that, he stood up and left, his hurried expression clearly indicating he was going after his wife.

Zu'an couldn't help but inwardly grumble that his bargain father-in-law was a typical henpecked husband. Still, he had a good temperament, being amiable even towards a good-for-nothing like himself. Zu'an just wondered if his kindness was genuine or if he was secretly cunning.

Chu Huanzhao was excitedly on her way to find him when Chu Zhongtian's voice drifted from outside: "Zhaor, your mother is looking for you."

"Oh," Chu Huanzhao's excited expression immediately fell. She helplessly spread her hands at him, then reluctantly went outside.

"You and Huanzhao seem to get along well?" Chu Chuyan asked, a little surprised.

Zu'an smiled smugly. "I've always been quite approachable."

Chu Chuyan was speechless.

She gave him a look, then turned to leave. "By the way, a word of advice: men shouldn't make promises they can't keep."

Zu'an couldn't help but sigh. Not a single person in this family believed him. Life truly felt as lonely as snow.

He suddenly remembered something and quickly chased after her. "Wife! Wife!"

Chu Chuyan spun around abruptly. "Shut up! I told you before not to call me that."

"You only said not to call you 'Niangzi'," Zu'an quickly rephrased, noticing her eyebrows furrowing in anger. "Then how about 'Yan'er'?"

Chu Chuyan was speechless.

She thought to herself, *My parents call me that, but it sounds odd coming from him. Yet, if I forbid that, should I really let him continue calling me 'wife'?*

"Hey, do you have any shame?" Xue'er jumped out, positioning herself between them. "After what happened, you're still buzzing around Miss like a fly all day." As she spoke, her eyes subtly flicked towards his lower abdomen, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Do I need you meddling when I'm looking for my own wife?" Zu'an rolled his eyes. "You've already been seen naked by me, yet you're still constantly in my presence. Who really has no shame?"

"You!" Xue'er's small face turned crimson. She considered that incident a profound humiliation, and the fact that he dared to bring it up now infuriated her. She immediately drew her sword, ready to kill him.

Qiao Xueying's fury spiked to 999!

"Alright, alright, you two stop fighting," Chu Chuyan interjected, fearing that if she didn't intervene, he might actually be torn to pieces. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Zu'an glanced at Xue'er, whom Chu Chuyan had pulled aside, mentally gauging the length of the sword in her hand. He took a step back, ensuring a safe distance before speaking. "Here's the thing: someone wants to kill your husband. Are you going to do something about it?"

Xue'er's heart skipped a beat, and her earlier anger subsided slightly. She looked at him with a mix of surprise and uncertainty, various thoughts racing through her mind.

Chu Chuyan's delicate brows furrowed slightly. He wasn't calling her 'wife' anymore, but now he was referring to himself as her husband. "Who wants to kill you?"

Zu'an first cast a glance at Xue'er, making her inwardly flinch, then said, "The Plum Blossom Gang wants to kill me."

"The Plum Blossom Gang?" Chu Chuyan paused, surprised. "How did you get involved with them?"

Zu'an spread his hands. "I don't know either. Logically, a handsome young man like me, beloved by all, shouldn't have any enemies. Yet, the Plum Blossom Gang has tried to kill me repeatedly. The last time I was struck by lightning, Plum Blossom Twelve was behind it."

"Is that true?" Chu Chuyan's usually calm expression now held a hint of surprise.

Zu'an nodded. "Would I lie to my own wife?"

Xue'er snorted from the side. "Go ask around in the city; this guy is famously a habitual liar. Lying to his wife..." She caught Chu Chuyan's glare and quickly corrected herself, "Lying to the Young Mistress is nothing."

Zu'an gave her a profound look. "I'm starting to think you pick fights with me every day because you've fallen in love and are trying to get my attention that way, aren't you?"

"I..." Xue'er gasped, nearly fainting from sheer indignation. "Miss, please don't stop me! I must kill this man today!"

Qiao Xueying's fury spiked to 725!

Zu'an quickly started circling Chu Chuyan, while Xue'er chased him with her sword. They ran in circles, and for a moment, neither could catch the other.

"Yan'er, aren't you going to do something about this? She's trying to murder your husband!" Zu'an yelled as he dodged.

Chu Chuyan's expression was cold. "If your hands keep touching me, I'll kill you first."

Zu'an awkwardly released his hands. While circling her to evade, he had taken advantage of the proximity for some physical contact, but he hadn't expected his intentions to be seen through so quickly.

Come to think of it, this 'bargain' wife of his felt quite cold, like an ice sculpture.

"You said Plum Blossom Twelve was responsible for you being struck by lightning, but do you have any proof?" Chu Chuyan asked.

"He said it himself," Zu'an replied. Seeing that she truly wasn't intervening, he wondered, *Is this woman serious? Is she using this as an excuse to let Xue'er kill me?*

"Then where is he now?"

"He's dead, not even a trace of his body remains."

"You're just talking nonsense. What can Miss do based on your unsupported claims?"

Chu Chuyan stopped Xue'er from continuing the chase, then said, "Xue'er is right. Although the Plum Blossom Gang is just a criminal organization, their backing is quite complex. Without concrete evidence, there's little we can do against them."

"Miss, I think he's just spouting nonsense. Why would the Plum Blossom Gang risk offending our Chu family just to deal with him?" Xue'er panted, her small chest heaving, wondering, *How is his stamina so good now?*

Chu Chuyan nodded slightly, clearly leaning towards agreeing with her. If they rashly confronted the gang, and the other party simply claimed there was no evidence because the person was dead, what could they do?

Zu'an himself regretted killing Plum Blossom Twelve so quickly. If he had known, he would have forced him to write a confession at the time. But that was just wishful thinking; it wouldn't have been realistic in that situation.

"Even if there's no proof regarding Plum Blossom Twelve, what about today at the academy gates? Plum Blossom Thirteen explicitly threatened to chop off my limbs and torture me to death, slice by slice. That can't be fake, can it?"

If one is to live off others, one must be fully aware of it. He particularly despised those who, despite being able to easily resolve issues by leveraging their connections, insisted on relying on their own abilities, as if shouldering immense hardship. Besides, if he was "eating soft rice," but doing it his own way, wasn't that also a form of relying on his own abilities?

"Why would Plum Blossom Thirteen randomly show up at the academy to threaten you?" Xue'er asked, sneering at him as she held her young mistress's arm. "I'd say you've probably done something to offend them."

Zu'an gave her a knowing, half-amused look. "I've noticed that ever since this conversation started, you've been defending the Plum Blossom Gang. You don't have some connection to them, do you?"

Xue'er jumped, instinctively glancing at Chu Chuyan, then quickly retorted, "How could I possibly be involved with the Plum Blossom Gang? I just can't stand your illogical nonsense!"

"Many people witnessed what happened today," Zu'an declared indignantly. "If you don't believe me, you can ask the Second Miss; she saw it with her own eyes. Can our distinguished Chu family truly tolerate such an insult?"

Chu Chuyan thought, *This guy really doesn't consider himself an outsider; he's already saying "our Chu family" so naturally.* After a moment's thought, she replied, "The Plum Blossom Gang is not simple. We still don't know the full extent of their backing. Moreover, while my father is a duke, he holds no local administrative position. Interfering in local political matters would be overstepping his authority. So, we can't simply launch an investigation just because of a threat."

Zu'an couldn't help but curl his lips. "The Chu family, a dignified duke's mansion, yet you can't even handle a mere criminal gang. I feel ashamed for you."

Xue'er put her hands on her hips and retorted, "Now you're really pushing your luck! Do you understand court politics? Do you understand the precarious position of those in high office? Do you understand Master's current situation? You know nothing, yet you stand here spouting nonsense!"

Zu'an glanced at her. "Alright, alright, you know everything. And yet, you're still just a little maid, aren't you?"

Xue'er gasped, then looked at Chu Chuyan pleadingly. "Miss, I really want to hit him."

Qiao Xueying's fury spiked to 367!

Chu Chuyan chuckled softly. "Alright, that's enough. Don't be so disrespectful. He is, after all, the son-in-law. You two constantly act like a pair of bickering lovers."

Xue'er immediately jumped up, protesting with a wronged expression. "Bickering lovers with *him*? Miss, please don't disgust me!"

Zu'an ignored Xue'er completely and turned to Chu Chuyan. "I knew your Chu family wouldn't be reliable in this. I have my own way to resolve it, but I'll need your backing."

Plum Blossom Twelve and Plum Blossom Thirteen had successively targeted him, and enduring humiliation was not in his nature. Furthermore, he worried that passive defense would only lead to more unpredictable moves from the Plum Blossom Gang. Rather than constantly being on the defensive, it would be better to preemptively strike and utterly dismantle the gang.

"Backing?" Chu Chuyan asked, looking puzzled.

"It means to support me," Zu'an explained. "I'm going to the Plum Blossom Gang later. You don't need to do anything; just ensure my safety."

Xue'er snorted from the side. "So you're just trying to borrow someone else's prestige."

Zu'an ignored her. "Actually, I can handle it myself. I'm mainly worried the Plum Blossom Gang will be beaten so badly that they'll resort to desperate measures."

"Just you?" Xue'er scoffed, her expression clearly showing she thought he was overestimating himself.

Chu Chuyan, however, nodded. "Alright, I'll go with you. But let me be clear: I'll only be there as myself, not representing the Chu family on your behalf."

"Don't worry, that won't be necessary." A heavy weight lifted from Zu'an's heart. With her accompanying him, his life would naturally be safe.

"What exactly are you planning?" Xue'er frowned, growing curious as she looked at his confident expression.

"It won't work if I tell you," Zu'an said, wiggling a finger playfully. He then gestured towards Chu Chuyan. "Yan'er, after you."

Chu Chuyan frowned slightly, still not entirely accustomed to his form of address. But seeing his shameless demeanor, she decided to give up trying to correct him.