Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s Chapter 2596 - 2532: Utter Chaos

"He left for training at noon—you just missed him."

Chiang Xiao steadied her feelings.

Meng Xinian had specifically told her to inquire about Boss Du’s matters from Brother Shun.

No updates had come from Cheng Cheng in recent days.

They uncovered details on the kitchen victim: a year back, he got hooked on gambling after being tempted, lost heaps of cash, and took jobs to wipe out his debts.

He figured handing over the Jiang Family layout and unlocking the door for that guy would settle it all, never imagining he’d end up dead.

Still, Jiang Shiheng believed it wasn’t that straightforward.

They spoke on the phone yesterday; now this mess had thrown the Jiang Family into turmoil. Ah Qiu, brother to Fourth Madam Jiang, got stripped of kitchen duties right away and threw a tantrum with her, but Old Master Jiang showed no mercy and booted him out.

Humiliated, Fourth Madam Jiang took to her bed for two days; the Jiang Family’s fourth lady was a wreck.

Fourth Master Jiang just vanished, so Fourth Madam dispatched Ah Qiu to track him down—only to learn he’d spent the night with a dance hall hostess, sparking yet more drama.

Right then, the perpetually weak Fifth Master Jiang took ill once more, keep calling for Chen Baoshen to examine him.

In this mess, Jiang Shiheng hits roadblocks every time he seeks allies to probe that night’s happenings.

Cheng Cheng dealt with plenty of pushback and isolation in the Alliance too.

Hearing it all, Chiang Xiao sensed how thorny and tangled their plight was.

Yet Jiang Shiheng explained that the disorder actually helped—disorder showed those folks weren’t tightly coordinated, making it simpler to detect oddities amid the uproar.

A calm, orderly scene would make clues even harder to unearth.

Eager to assist, Chiang Xiao realized her best move now was extracting Boss Du intel from Brother Shun.

Brother Shun hesitated briefly, shrugged, and remarked, "What a shame—I was looking forward to sharing some drinks with him."

"Brother Xinian doesn’t drink," Chiang Xiao replied.

Brother Shun roared with laughter, smacking his thigh.

"He quit after getting together with you! Back then, he swiped booze from Great Officer Yang to split with me. We scaled the wall, perched on the fence swigging away. He held his liquor like a champ—me, I passed out; him, he turned talkative."

Chiang Xiao froze for a second.

She’d never pictured Meng Xinian like that in his earlier days.

"When did that happen?"

"Gimme a sec to recall—had to be at eighteen, haha."

Uh, Tyrant Meng at eighteen—she’d been just eleven.

Days from before they crossed paths.

"Brother Shun, how’d you locate our place?"

"Piece of cake—just hit up the Meng Family. No sweat for me." Brother Shun rose. "But with Xinian away, I shouldn’t linger."

"What’s inconvenient about it? Others are around too," Chiang Xiao said, exasperated; was he dodging gossip?

Ding Haijing and Luo Yongsheng were present as well.

Guan Tiezhu ought to be back tomorrow.

"On that note," Brother Shun plopped back down, eyed Ding Haijing and Luo Yongsheng outdoors, scrutinized Chiang Xiao, and questioned, "What’s up with you? In some kind of trouble?"

Who needs two bodyguards if not in peril?

Chiang Xiao relied on Brother Shun partly because Meng Xinian did, and partly due to events from her previous life.