Old Mr. Yao paused for a few seconds at the bathroom door, startling Yan Xi, who thought he knew they were hiding there.
Xiang Jingchen was also terrified. While Old Mr. Yao appeared kind and amiable, he was actually not easy to deal with. When he became ruthless, he was truly unyielding.
Just as Old Mr. Yao was about to push open the bathroom door, a bodyguard suddenly ran in, standing breathlessly before him and explaining, "Sir, I've checked everywhere, and there's nothing amiss here."
Old Mr. Yao lowered his hand, which had been suspended in mid-air, and looked at the bodyguard, asking coldly, "What do you mean?"
The bodyguard explained the entire situation to Old Mr. Yao and then calmly stated, "Sir, the surveillance system suddenly went offline. We just checked the wires, and they were a bit loose."
Upon hearing the bodyguard's words, Old Mr. Yao breathed a sigh of relief and coldly instructed, "Repair it immediately. I will not tolerate any mistakes."
The bodyguard withdrew.
Xiang Jingchen exhaled in relief. Fortunately, he had some understanding of such matters and had not directly pulled out the wires, but had merely loosened them, thus managing to get them out of this predicament.
Old Mr. Yao surveyed the office before turning to leave. However, as he exited, he locked the door from the outside.
There was no way for Yan Xi and Xiang Jingchen to escape. As for jumping out the window, they were on the 33rd floor; a fall from such a height would be fatal.
Old Mr. Yao was precisely that kind of person; once he became suspicious, he would not overlook any clue.
After Old Mr. Yao left, Yan Xi and Xiang Jingchen emerged from the bathroom and began trying to unlock the computer.
Yan Xi asked with some worry, "Will this password work? If it fails again, we won't be able to access it. The computer will lock permanently, and the alarm will sound."
Xiang Jingchen was unsure. At this moment, his priority was not to quickly crack the password, but to determine the correct sequence.
Seeing Xiang Jingchen hesitate to act, Yan Xi couldn't help but frown and ask, "Can you actually do it? Are you sure the password is those three digits?"
Xiang Jingchen was also uncertain. If they didn't try the password, all their efforts would be in vain. But if they did try it…
Xiang Jingchen dared not think further.
Yan Xi had fewer reservations. All Yan Xi wanted now was the truth. She pushed Xiang Jingchen aside and began entering the numbers herself. As Yan Xi was entering the second digit, Xiang Jingchen, fearing a mistake, rushed to stop her. In his haste, Xiang Jingchen's hand brushed against a number, and he inwardly cursed.
He had even braced himself for the worst, but to Xiang Jingchen's surprise, they had accidentally opened the computer.
The moment the computer booted up, both Xiang Jingchen and Yan Xi were at a loss for words.
Xiang Jingchen cautiously said, "It's better to be careful. I'm worried there might be other traps within this computer."
Yan Xi, however, did not share Xiang Jingchen's concerns. She stared at the computer screen, unsure where to begin. The desktop was clean, and even the quarterly reports displayed were genuine.
Yan Xi fell into thought. Was Old Mr. Yao truly a good person?
Had she been overthinking things?
Suddenly, an audio recording popped up.
"Yao Wanruo, have you thought this through? I am your father. Everything I'm doing is for the good of you and your sister. If you proceed, our Yao family will be ruined."
Xiang Jingchen's face paled. This recording was a conversation between his mother and maternal grandfather.
However, he didn't understand what his mother intended to do, nor what his grandfather feared.
Yan Xi felt as though she had heard the name somewhere before; it sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't recall it immediately.
Seeing Xiang Jingchen's face contort with distress, Yan Xi couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Do you know the woman in the recording?"
Xiang Jingchen ignored Yan Xi and continued listening to the rest of the recording.
"Dad, what you're doing is illegal. Do you even know what you're doing? You always taught my sister and me that the right path in life is arduous, but now, are your actions considered the right path?"
"Wanruo, I have no other choice. I'm at my wit's end. Otherwise, I wouldn't do this."
Yao Wanruo did not listen to Old Mr. Yao's excuses and directly called the police.
Old Mr. Yao let out a cold snort and said indifferently, "Wanruo, I don't want to do anything to you. You're forcing my hand."
After speaking, Old Mr. Yao ordered his bodyguards to take Wanruo away.
And then, Yao Wanruo had an accident.
Now, Xiang Jingchen finally understood the meaning of his aunt's words that day.
It turned out his mother hadn't died in an accident.
She had discovered her grandfather's secret and was silenced by him.
How could he? That was his own daughter.
After listening to the recording, Xiang Jingchen didn't know what to do. His mind was in turmoil, and he needed to calm down.
Yan Xi, who had intended to listen to more of the recording, sensed Xiang Jingchen's emotional distress.
Yan Xi put down the mouse, glanced at Xiang Jingchen, and asked softly, "Are you alright?"
"Sister, everything my aunt told me that day was true. I always thought my aunt was out of her mind and her words were unreliable. But now I realize my aunt was the clearest and most intelligent person in the Yao family."
Yan Xi didn't understand what Xiang Jingchen meant. All Yan Xi knew was that Xiang Jingchen's current state was related to this recording.
Xiang Jingchen glanced at Yan Xi, asking her to move aside. He accessed the computer and copied all the recordings and important files, including financial statements, onto his phone, then shut down the computer.
The events had unfolded too suddenly, so suddenly that Xiang Jingchen could not yet accept this reality. All he could do now was go home, take a cold shower, try his best to calm down, and then slowly listen to the recordings again.
Looking at Yan Xi, Xiang Jingchen said, "Sister, let's go. We should leave here first."
Yan Xi also understood that this was not a place to linger. The two prepared to leave.
Xiang Jingchen pulled Yan Xi's hand and walked to the door. Xiang Jingchen tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.
Xiang Jingchen's face changed drastically. He looked at Yan Xi and said, "We can't leave. Grandfather has locked the door."
Yan Xi had not expected Old Mr. Yao to be so meticulous and lock the door. She looked at Xiang Jingchen, her eyes full of worry, and asked, "What do we do now?"