Chapter 76 Who Is It?

Chapter 76 Who Is It?

Zhou Ningyue was heading to the east room, but as soon as she entered the main room, she heard a scream.

It was a man's voice coming from the west room.

Zhou Ningyue rushed to the west room and pushed the door open with all her might.

Inside, Zhou's mother held a dagger in one hand, looking at her daughter in confusion.

The dagger dripped with blood, and Zhou's father lay on the ground struggling, still breathing.

This made him look even more terrifying, his face twisted as he glared at Zhou Ningyue, reaching out to her.

Zhou Ningyue didn't even scream; her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed softly.

Xin You, following behind Zhou Ningyue, caught her just in time.

With a clatter, Zhou's mother dropped the dagger onto the floor.

"Yue'er!" Zhou's mother rushed to her daughter, reaching out to help, but the blood on her hands made her pause abruptly.

It was her husband's blood.

Perhaps due to her inherent calmness or the strength of a mother protecting her child, Zhou's mother did not panic as Xin You had expected. She looked straight at Xin You.

"Miss Kou, why are you here?"

"Auntie, the courtyard gate wasn't locked."

Zhou's mother was taken aback, rubbed her hands vigorously on her clothes, and quickly stepped outside.

Xin You supported the unconscious Zhou Ningyue and looked down at Zhou Tong lying on the ground.

Zhou Tong was no longer moving, his eyes wide open with disbelief, clearly not expecting to die at the hands of a weak woman.

This outcome was contrary to what one would expect, but Xin You was not entirely surprised. Perhaps when she had reminded Zhou's mother, she had subconsciously prepared herself for a different result.

Men are physically stronger than women, but an unprepared one against a prepared one can lead to a completely opposite outcome in an instant.

Xin You surveyed the west room, which was set up as a study. There were many books on the shelves along the wall, and the desk was cluttered with papers and writing materials—a typical study.

The argument between Zhou's parents happened here instead of in the living quarters in the east room, so there must be a reason.

What could it be?

There was no time to ponder further as Zhou's mother returned.

"What are you looking at, Miss Kou?"

Xin You detected a cold tone in Zhou's mother's voice, which did not surprise her.

Her appearance was indeed too coincidental, raising suspicion.

"Auntie, should we move Zhou sister to the bed in the east room first, so she won't be startled when she wakes up?"

Zhou's mother immediately put aside her emotions and helped Xin You carry Zhou Ningyue to the east room. Standing in the main room, just a door away from the west room, her face turned pale and grave.

"Miss Kou, why were you with Yue'er?"

Xin You replied calmly, "After leaving Auntie's house that day, I heard Sister Ji mention a nearby pastry shop with delicious pastries and meat mooncakes. Since tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival, I came early to buy some to honor our elders. I didn't expect to run into Zhou sister."

At this point, Xin You glanced at the entrance of the west room and continued, "As for coming to Auntie's house, I noticed signs of danger on Zhou sister's face regarding her parents, so I came with her out of concern."

Hearing this, Zhou's mother neither confirmed nor denied it. After a long silence, she asked, "You saw what happened in the west room. What do you plan to do?"

"What does Auntie plan to do?" Xin You countered.

Zhou's mother's expression turned cold as she said honestly, "I don't want to be accused of killing my husband. My own life doesn't matter, but Yue'er cannot have a mother who killed her own husband; it would ruin her life. Please, Miss Kou, pretend you never came today."

Saying this, Zhou's mother knelt down heavily.

Xin You stood quietly, then looked down at the kneeling woman after a moment.

"I want to know why things are different."

Zhou's mother was momentarily confused, her face showing bewilderment.

Xin You spoke slowly, "When I observed Auntie's face earlier, the one who was supposed to be in danger was you."

Zhou's mother trembled, her expression changing rapidly. After a moment of silence, she said, "Miss Kou was right; it was supposed to be me. I confronted him about something and suddenly remembered your words. In a strange twist of fate, I brought the dagger with me. During the argument, he strangled me, and in my struggle, somehow—"

"Mother—" A voice interrupted, Zhou Ningyue supporting herself by the door frame, her face as white as snow. "What happened? What could make Father try to kill you and you end up killing him?"

She let go of the door frame and stumbled forward, looking like she might collapse at any moment.

"Mother, tell me, what happened!" Zhou Ningyue threw herself onto her mother, shaking her arm forcefully.

Zhou's mother touched Zhou Ningyue's hair, then recoiled sharply when she felt the blood on her hands.

"Yue'er, don't ask. This is a matter for adults—"

"Mother, how can you still say it's a matter for adults?" Zhou Ningyue's voice rose, tears streaming down her face. "Father is dead; I don't have a father anymore!"

These words struck Zhou's mother like a heavy blow.

Her face turned even paler, and her hands shook uncontrollably: "It was supposed to be me."

"Mom, I'm not blaming you; I just want to know why!" Zhou Ningyue hugged her mother and cried.

For this innocent young girl, her mother, who doted on her day and night, was naturally much closer than her father, who often left early and returned late, sometimes not even seen at all.

Both are important, but when there comes a time when one must choose, one is always more important than the other.

"Yue'er, you just need to know that your father made a mistake. It's not that Mother doesn't want to tell you, it's that she can't. Of course, it's understandable if you blame Mother. All I hope is that you'll be well," her mother choked back tears, but no tears fell.

Zhou Ningyue shook her head, looking dazed. "I don't understand."

Her mother looked at Xin You. "Miss Kou, can you keep this secret for our mother-daughter pair?"

"Do you think you can hide the news of his death from your husband?"

Her mother subconsciously glanced at her daughter and whispered, "We can't hide the news of his death, but we can hide the cause. Our family has only recently moved here and hasn't interacted much with the neighbors. His colleagues are also new acquaintances. The only exception—"

She paused, not continuing.

Zhou Ningyue had already realized what was happening and covered her mouth, crying, "What will Aunt do when she finds out?"

Ji Cailan's mother was Zhou Tong's own elder sister.

"After we clean up, we'll report his death as a sudden illness," her mother said to her daughter with difficulty, looking at Xin You with pleading eyes.

Xin You looked at the woman whose clothes were stained with her husband's blood, a doubt rising in her heart.

Could an ordinary woman remain so calm after accidentally killing her husband?

Or could it be that Mother Zhou's background is not simple either?

Wait, Mother Zhou recognized her mother as the empress who had been missing for over a decade. She couldn't possibly be an ordinary woman.

Who is Mother Zhou then?

Xin You's eyes held a probing gaze as she looked at Mother Zhou.