After Marrying the Officer Chapter 1319 - 1318: Bait

~3 minute read · 692 words
Previously on After Marrying the Officer...
When Mother Xia was being harassed, a student intervened to protect her. Xia Chuyi and Ou Jun allowed Mother Xia to leave with the student, believing she would lead them to the culprit. Upon returning home, Ou Chuyi's father, Ou ZhenTing, became enraged when he learned Xia Chuyi was being targeted, blaming himself for not being able to protect her.

Upon hearing this, Xia Chuyi voiced her suspicions to her father, stating, "Dad, I have some doubts about this. I feel like they were coming for me."

"It’s just that I can’t figure out why they’d target me," Xia Chuyi elaborated to her father.

Ou ZhenTing listened to his daughter's concerns and, after a moment of contemplation, shook his head. "I don’t really see it that way..."

"Like you said, you yourself can’t figure out why they’d come after you..." Ou ZhenTing continued. "That’s because, if they were only aiming at you, there really wouldn’t be much to gain."

"So on this matter, I don’t agree with your view," Ou ZhenTing concluded.

"Dad..." Xia Chuyi began, intending to speak further.

However, she ultimately held her tongue.

After all, she couldn't possibly explain that her suspicion stemmed from a mere gut feeling, could she?

Just then, Ou ZhenTing announced, "I’ll go talk this over with our in-laws first."

"I suspect this whole thing... might be aimed at Shiqian," Ou ZhenTing voiced his conjecture.

"While you feel like this looks as if it’s only directed at you..." Ou ZhenTing explained, "But in reality, you and Shiqian are basically one unit, so going after you is going after him."

"And to be able to pull so many strings behind the scenes like this..." Ou ZhenTing mused, shaking his head. "That probably isn’t your enemy, but Shiqian’s."

Xia Chuyi was taken aback by this revelation.

Listening to her father, she found his reasoning to be surprisingly plausible?

Yet, the unsettling feeling in Xia Chuyi’s heart persisted.

"Enough, Chuyi, the child is with your mom, go check on the baby," Ou ZhenTing instructed. "For the next couple of days, don’t go out."

"As for the rest, we’ll decide after I’ve talked it over with our in-laws," Ou ZhenTing assured his daughter.

"Okay," Xia Chuyi readily agreed, not voicing any objection.

Shortly after, Ou ZhenTing made his way to the Huo Family residence.

Much like Ou ZhenTing, Huo Zhongcheng also harbored the suspicion that the incident was directed at Huo Shiqian.

Subsequently, the two men meticulously reviewed Huo Shiqian’s known adversaries and his network of rivals, attempting to pinpoint potential culprits.

Concurrently, whispers began to circulate within the Capital City's social circles, alleging that Xia Chuyi had "killed her mother."

Upon hearing these rumors, Ou ZhenTing was the first to erupt in fury.

"What do you mean, 'killed her mother'?" Ou ZhenTing bellowed, his voice laced with rage. "My wife is alive and well!"

"'Killed her mother'? What 'mother' did Chuyi kill?" Ou ZhenTing continued his furious questioning. "What is Zhao Chunxiao supposed to be, some kind of 'mother'? The audacity!"

"Junjun, where exactly did this fabrication originate? I asked you to look into it—have you found out?" Ou ZhenTing pressed Ou Jun.

Ou Jun nodded affirmatively. "I did. It was that male college student who assisted Mother Xia previously."

"His family possesses connections within the media..." Ou Jun stated grimly. "But the public security bureau hasn’t released any official findings yet. I never imagined he’d leak this information first."

After addressing his father, Ou Jun turned to Xia Chuyi. "Chuyi, don’t let this get to you. It’s just baseless gossip. Once the truth surfaces, these rumors will quickly dissipate."

"Mm, I won’t dwell on it," Xia Chuyi replied, nodding.

To be perfectly honest, far from feeling upset by the rumors, Xia Chuyi experienced a tinge of guilt.

This was because she had foreseen this precise outcome.

From the moment she permitted Mother Xia to depart with that impetuous college student, Xia Chuyi had been anticipating this very turn of events.

Merely lying in wait felt far too passive; it was a strategy fraught with risk.

One might fail to capture the intended target and instead find themselves vulnerable to being cornered.

Therefore, from the outset, Xia Chuyi had orchestrated a plan to lure the snake out of its hole.

And Mother Xia served as her meticulously chosen bait.