What was my original intention as The Schemer? For a long time, I forgot, wavering between understanding situations, plotting, and breaking schemes, marveling at the strength of my opponents amidst conspiracies, and being baptized by the darkness of human nature.
In reality, my original intention as The Schemer was very simple: to defeat Boss Xie, to stop him from harming others.
"My initial intention in following Old Ghost was revenge. I never expected to end up being a hero, returning the money Boss Xie had scammed to the victims, and feeling incredibly heroic. Afterward, I returned home, unable to let go of the term 'The Schemer,' and finally met you."
Every boy has a hero dream. Gao Ziyan understood me and asked me seriously, "What about now?"
"I still want to be a hero, to be on your side, and to help you become the only kind-hearted successor of the Gao family."
Gao Ziyan smiled, tied her long, compliant hair into a bun with a rubber band, and said as she walked away, "Wait for me for a bit, and we can continue talking when I get back."
"Where are you going?"
"To argue with my mother."
*Pfft,* I chuckled. This girl was quite interesting.
...
After a long while, Gao Ziyan returned, huffing and puffing, her cheeks flushed red. Seeing her, she looked like she had just run a thousand meters. I asked in surprise, "Did you go to argue or to fight?"
"I can't believe my mother is this kind of person. How can she be so shameless?"
"You mean about her using Gao Zihui for revenge."
"Yes, I feel much better saying it out loud. To get revenge, you wield a knife and attack. You manipulate someone's feelings, especially a child, and even my own brother. I..."
Looking at Gao Ziyan like this, I thought, she didn't win the argument. I didn't speak, nor did I intend to comfort her on this matter. It wasn't her fault in the first place.
"My mother wants you to go to her place. She said she has something to tell you."
"What could she possibly want to tell me?"
Hearing me say this, Gao Ziyan showed an embarrassed look, as if she had made a mistake. "I was so focused on arguing that I didn't ask."
"It's fine, I'll go."
"My mother isn't going to target you, is she? By having bodyguards follow you?"
"This is your home. Even though it's a mansion, you don't need bodyguards just to move between rooms."
"Alright, then go ahead."
...
When I went to see the Second Madam, she was feeding cats. She looked the same as when I last saw her, without makeup, wearing cotton pajamas. I had seen another side of her in a video, wearing a sexy nightgown, exuding feminine charm. However, in this house, she was disheveled, her hair messy as if she had just gotten out of bed.
"Ziyan just burst in and had a huge argument with me, revealing my plan to kill my sister-in-law."
"I know about that."
"I haven't acted on it yet. Did you figure this out?"
"Yes."
"As expected of The Schemer. You analyzed correctly. I was planning to kill my sister-in-law. Years of hatred would be avenged through her. However, I haven't figured out how to do it yet. You are The Schemer, help me with some ideas."
I asked, puzzled, "Second Madam, I think you've misunderstood. Why would I help you brainstorm ideas?"
"Aren't you The Schemer of our family? Don't you want Ziyan to inherit the Gao family? Our goals are the same, why wouldn't we cooperate?"
"The same goal?"
"Of course. Do you think I want to be the heir of the Gao family? I've never thought that. My parents are both deceased. If it weren't for my marriage into the Gao family, my relatives wouldn't treat me well. So, apart from Ziyan, I have virtually no attachments."
I became even more confused. "Second Madam, if you want Ziyan to be the heir, why would you want to kill your husband, Gao Xiaoqing?"
"Gao Xiaoqing dotes on Ziyan too much. He indulges her every word. She's a descendant of the Gao family, yet she wants to be a kindergarten teacher. Gao Xiaoqing defends her excessively for it. Parents can't protect their children forever; a little push at the crucial moment is enough."
"You think now is the crucial moment?"
"Yes. I've controlled Gao Zihui for a long time, keeping it hidden. It's all to make Gao Xiaozhi's family fall apart at this critical juncture. With Gao Xiaoqing's death, as long as Gao Zihui transfers his shares to me, this Gao family will belong to Ziyan."
"And you?"
The Second Madam gave a tragic smile at my question. "I've never received love in my life. Since childhood, my parents looked down on me for being a girl and treated me coldly. Only when I got into a prestigious university with my own abilities did their attitude soften slightly. At that time, I was deeply in love with Gao Xiaozhi. I remained pure, just for the sake of giving him a good reputation. I married him, and lived a happy life raising our children. However, Gao Xiaozhi abandoned me for the sake of the family. My only love disappeared, and from then on, my life became hatred. I married Gao Xiaoqing, who only knew how to make money and never loved me. My daughter is the same. Daughters should be close to their mothers, but she clings to her father, acts spoiled towards him, and gets angry with him. In my daughter's eyes, I am just a strict housekeeper. What else is there to cherish in a life like this?"
I looked at the Second Madam seriously. Undeniably, she had lived a twisted life.
"So, when your daughter argued with you, you felt gratified?"
"Yes!"
I looked at the Second Madam's tragic state, then at the two cats, and then asked her, "Did your husband give you these two cats?"
"They were his. I'm just helping to raise them."
"Since they are his cats, why would they scratch their owner? I've never met someone who likes cats and carries ointment with them, nor have I seen cats attack their owner without reason."
The Second Madam was clearly stunned by my words and replied confusedly, "Perhaps the cats are not used to him because they've been apart for too long."
I shook my head. "When I was little, I had a cat. Later, I lived in a boarding school, and my parents looked after the cat. Every time I came back, seeing the cat that had developed bad habits from being spoiled by my parents, I couldn't help but scold it. It would lower its head, whimper, argue with me, but it wouldn't harm me."
"I don't understand what you mean?"
The Second Madam seemed a little uneasy. She didn't understand the meaning of my words, but she had already sensed what I was about to say.
"When I helped Gao Ziyan, she had money. Her father died, and according to the will, the money was immediately hers to control freely. This is what I can't understand. Mr. Gao Xiaoqing spent very little time with you, spending most of his time overseas. If he didn't love you, it would be normal for him to marry and have children abroad. Even if Old Master Gao knew, he wouldn't stop him, as there aren't many descendants in the Gao family, and even Gao Xiaojuan's son has the surname Gao. But Mr. Gao Xiaoqing didn't do that. Is he sick?"
"He's not sick, of course. Ziyan is my biological daughter with him."
"That proves one thing: your husband loved you."
"Impossible, he never said it."
"Have you ever told your husband 'I love you'?"
The Second Madam panicked completely. "Our relationship was a..."
I knew what the Second Madam wanted to say. She wanted to say their marriage was transactional. But she was from a common background; what other ulterior motives could she have? She wanted to refute me, but Gao Xiaoqing's loyalty was like her own purity back then. For so many years, Gao Xiaoqing had no scandals, and even kept a distance from women during social events.
"You married Gao Xiaoqing out of hatred, but you never understood your husband. Your husband didn't like cats at all and didn't understand them. Someone who understands cats wouldn't get scratched every time. Even so, under the guise of liking cats, your husband had you raise two cats for him."
"Why? Why did he do that?"
"Because he knew the hatred in your heart. He knew animals could become friends to humans. Therefore, your husband, pretending to know nothing, gave you two cats. He hoped that with the companionship of cats, you might realize another kind of love. He wanted you to become gentle and kind, to forget the hatred in your heart."
After I finished speaking, the Second Madam completely lost it and screamed at me hysterically, "Nonsense! Get out! Get out of here!"
I sighed, bowed slightly to the Second Madam, and turned to leave in silence.
...
After I went out and closed the door, I stopped a few steps away. I heard suppressed sobs. I turned back and saw Gao Ziyan hiding behind the door. Seeing me, Gao Ziyan suddenly rushed towards me, hugged me tightly, and burst into tears. I wanted to push her away, but she held on so tightly.
"Tang Nan, what you said isn't true, is it?"
I wished what I said wasn't true, but sometimes, the mysterious and profound have their reasons. Just like my conversation with Old Ghost, Yin and Yang create all things, and knowing all things allows one to use them. I don't have a high IQ like Old Ghost, but I am inherently more sensitive than others and can detect these unknown human emotions.