Chapter 160: The Curtain Falls and the Opening Begins

"Thump!"

Ma Yishan's heart gave a violent jolt, as if it had been gripped by someone, leaving him unable to breathe.

He looked at the appearing Ma Zijun with a face full of terror and disbelief; at this moment, he suddenly realized he had been played!

He mustered his courage and looked up at Chen Che; that sharp-featured face now appeared so terrifying and horrific in Ma Yishan's eyes!

Because he realized that what happened tonight was a play!

A play directed and performed by Chen Che, with him as the villain and Ma Zijun as the audience.

The villain was defeated by the protagonist, confessed his crimes, and revealed the mystery to the audience and the protagonist.

The curtain fell on the performance; both inside and outside the play, Ma Yishan had suffered a total defeat!

Ma Yishan collapsed on the ground, his face full of despair! Only now did he realize that making him confess his crimes in front of Ma Zijun was Chen Che's true purpose for calling him to Zijin Mountain!

He could not have imagined that despite Chen Che's young age, not only was his Martial Dao Cultivation comparable to a Grandmaster, but his strategic planning was also one in a million; he had been led by the nose without even realizing it.

Ma Yishan felt unwilling to accept this, but he had to admit that losing to someone like Chen Che was nothing to be ashamed of!

"Second Uncle, was it really my mother who made you do this?"

Ma Zijun's expression was gloomy yet tinged with sorrow; he had not expected his mother to hate Ma Menghan to such an extent, and even less did he expect that Ma Yishan would actually lay a hand on his own blood relative!

"Zijun, I had my reasons too! Your father is pursuing a political career; as long as that illegitimate daughter is alive, she is a hidden danger to your father. I was helping him!"

With Ma Zijun present, Chen Che would not move to kill Ma Yishan again, and Ma Yishan realized this; the fear in his heart dissipated slightly, and instead of answering Ma Zijun, he defended himself.

"Since you wanted to help, why didn't you help in the past twenty years? Why did you have to act now?"

Chen Che raised the question.

"I... I..."

Ma Yishan was momentarily speechless; he couldn't very well say in front of Ma Zijun that he and his mother were having an affair, and that tonight's events were mainly instigated by his mother on a whim.

"Fine, you should go and explain it to my father and grandfather."

Ma Zijun took a deep breath, his face full of disappointment.

"Zijun, I am your Second Uncle! I have always treated you well over the years; tonight's matter was just a moment of confusion on my part, please don't alert your father and grandfather."

Ma Yishan was anxious; he knew very well that although Ma Yiren had never shown concern for Ma Menghan on the surface, he had secretly had Ma Zijun look after her.

And although Ma Youxiang might not care about Ma Menghan's life or death, Ma Yishan's act of assassination was something the old man despised.

Therefore, once Ma Yiren and Ma Youxiang were informed, Ma Yishan would have to bear the wrath of both men simultaneously.

Yet, he could not withstand either of their wrath.

"Zijun, let's go find your mother; let's sit down together and discuss this properly!"

Seeing that Ma Zijun remained unmoved, a flash of inspiration struck Ma Yishan, and he mentioned Huang Zhu.

This was also equivalent to implicitly answering Ma Zijun's initial question; it was indeed related to Huang Zhu.

Ma Zijun looked at Ma Yishan, clenching his fists as various emotions surged in his heart.

Chen Che spoke up at this moment: "It seems the person who wanted Menghan dead really was your mother. But I truly didn't expect your Second Uncle to be so obedient to your mother."

Hearing this, Ma Yishan's body trembled; he felt guilty and broke into a cold sweat.

"My mother's ancestral family is the Jinling Huang Family, which is also a powerful clan in Jinling. My Second Uncle is not favored in the Ma Family; it is not surprising that he wanted to use my mother to connect with the Huang Family."

Ma Zijun took a deep breath, calmed his mood, and slowly stated his judgment.

Ma Yishan let out a sigh of relief and looked up abruptly, only to collide with Chen Che's meaningful gaze.

This discovery made his heart hang in the balance once again.

"I won't interfere in your family affairs, but Ma Menghan is my friend; in terms of both reason and sentiment, I must vent some anger for her today."

As Chen Che spoke, he walked toward Ma Yishan.

Ma Yishan's body shook violently, and intense fear instantly crawled over his entire body; he grabbed Ma Zijun's clothes, pleading for help: "Zijun, I am your Second Uncle, you cannot abandon me! Zijun, Zijun, no! Don't! Ah!!!!"

"Crack!"

Chen Che grabbed Ma Yishan's left arm and exerted sudden force, crushing his bones.

Ma Yishan let out a miserable scream, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Ma Zijun watched coldly from the sidelines throughout.

………

When Chen Che returned to the hospital, Ma Menghan was already asleep. Lin Su was guarding the bedside, also looking drowsy.

Chen Che walked into the ward on tiptoe; the tense Lin Su instantly woke up. Just as she was about to mobilize her True Qi, she realized it was Chen Che and immediately relaxed, rising to bow respectfully to him: "Mr. Chen."

"How is she?"

Chen Che nodded in response and then looked at the sleeping Ma Menghan.

"Her life is not in danger. But two ribs are broken, her left leg is fractured, and her forearm is also injured; she needs to recover for a while."

Lin Su replied.

Chen Che nodded and sat down by the hospital bed.

"She woke up twice; the moment she opened her eyes, she asked where you were, and when she couldn't find you, she cried, just like a child who had been wronged and was looking for their parent."

Lin Su gave a wry smile as she recounted what had happened earlier.

Chen Che chuckled, shook his head, and said: "I can guard her here; you should go back."

Lin Su didn't move, asking tentatively: "Was the person caught?"

"Yes, the person behind the scenes is Ma Yishan, along with Ma Zijun's mother."

Chen Che said casually.

Upon hearing this, Lin Su quickly shut her mouth. She was only Ma Zijun's assistant and Bodyguard; these matters were not for her to hear.

Lin Su looked at Chen Che, her eyes shining, and she glanced enviously at Ma Menghan on the hospital bed.

For a moment, she even wished she could swap places with Ma Menghan; what a blissful thing it would be to have Chen Che guarding her bedside!

It was a pity, but in the end, he did not belong to her!

Lin Su took one last lingering look at Chen Che before slowly backing out of the hospital room.

Perhaps the noise Lin Su made while leaving was too loud, or perhaps she had sensed something.

No sooner had Lin Su left than Ma Menghan slowly opened her eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

Seeing that she had woken up, Chen Che immediately leaned forward and asked softly.

The moment she saw Chen Che, Ma Menghan's eyes widened abruptly, filled with surprise and disbelief.

She reached out her bandaged hand from under the quilt and touched Chen Che's face lightly; once she confirmed he was real, her tears gushed out, venting the bitterness and grievances in her heart all at once.

"Why did you only just come back? I thought you weren't going to care about me anymore..."

Ma Menghan's voice was choked with sobs, filled with endless grievance and fear, as she spoke in a tone that was both reproachful and delicate.

Chen Che stroked her head and said with a gentle smile, "I have already caught the person who hurt you and even broke his arm. Don't worry, there's no need to be afraid. I am staying right here to watch over you, and I won't go anywhere."

Ma Menghan sniffled and nodded like a chick pecking at rice, her voice hoarse and soft: "Okay~~"

"Sleep a little longer. When the sky brightens, I'll buy you something delicious."

Chen Che coaxed her in a warm voice, a strange emotion involuntarily welling up in his heart.

This girl who liked him had suffered too much!

I absolutely will not allow anyone else to hurt her!

Ma Menghan was still streaming with tears, but she smiled sweetly and, under the gaze of Chen Che's calm eyes, drifted off to sleep.

As the night began to brighten, Ma Zijun had not slept all night.

After leaving Ma Yishan in the care of Lin Su, he went alone to the hotel where his mother, Huang Zhu, was staying.

At the break of dawn, a scene of confrontation between mother and son was about to unfold.