Chapter 5: SHE MUST BE A MAGICIAN
The moment Su Yueqing disappeared beyond the entrance of the main hall, the atmosphere inside the Xi Manor changed completely.
The soft sound of her footsteps faded further and further away until the hall finally became silent again.
But this time, the silence no longer felt normal.
It felt heavy.
Nobody spoke immediately.
Every member of the Xi family was still frozen in their seats, as though their minds had not fully recovered from everything that had just happened.
The servants standing nearby lowered their heads nervously, not understanding why the masters had suddenly gone quiet.
Zhao Rui slowly tightened her grip around the head of her cane before finally speaking in a cold voice.
"Everyone leave."
The servants immediately bowed.
"Yes, Old Madam."
"Guards outside as well," Zhao Rui added sharply.
Within moments, the maids and guards hurried out of the hall one after another. The large doors closed heavily behind them, finally leaving only the direct Xi family members inside.
The moment the doors shut—
Xi Qianqian immediately stood up from her seat.
"What was that?!"
Her voice echoed through the hall.
"No— seriously, WHAT was that?!"
Xi Yunchen finally stopped holding back and burst into laughter.
"I knew I was not going crazy!" he said while holding his stomach. "I heard everything! Every single thought!"
"She called Grandmother scary!"
"She called our family a tragedy!"
"And she said Elder Brother becomes crippled in the future!"
"Xi Yunchen!" Xi Yunhao snapped immediately.
But even Xi Yunhao himself looked disturbed.
Because he had heard it too.
Every single word.
Xi Lanyin frowned deeply while turning toward her mother.
"Mother..."
Her voice became softer.
"...What she said earlier... was it true?"
The entire hall became quiet again.
Everyone slowly turned toward Lin Meiyun. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Lin Meiyun sat stiffly in her chair, her fingers still hidden beneath her sleeves.
For the first time in years, her calm and graceful expression looked shaken.
Xi Qianqian stared at her anxiously.
"Mother, why didn’t you tell us your body was getting worse?"
Lin Meiyun lowered her eyes quietly.
"At first, I only thought it was exhaustion," she admitted softly. "Then the physicians said my blood circulation was weak due to stress and poor rest."
She paused slightly before continuing.
"My skin started changing slowly afterward. The marks beneath my fingers became darker. My hair also began falling more than usual."
Xi Yunhao’s face immediately darkened.
"And you still said nothing?"
Lin Meiyun forced a calm smile.
"I truly did not think it was poison."
Those words caused the atmosphere to become even heavier.
Xi Qianqian slowly sat back down in shock.
"So... she was telling the truth..."
Even Xi Yunchen no longer looked playful.
Because if Su Yueqing had only guessed randomly, it would have been one thing.
But every single symptom she mentioned had been completely accurate.
Zhao Rui’s face became colder and colder.
"Who has been serving your meals recently?" she asked sharply.
Lin Meiyun frowned slightly before shaking her head.
"I do not know."
Xi Ronghua immediately slammed her hand against the table.
"How can you not know?!"
Her loud voice startled little Xi Anran beside her.
"You are the Duchess of the Xi family! Someone has been poisoning you inside your own manor and nobody noticed?!"
Gu Zhen quickly reached over and pulled her sleeve gently.
"Calm down first—"
"Don’t tell me to calm down!" Xi Ronghua snapped immediately. "My sister-in-law is being poisoned!"
Gu Zhen instantly became quiet again.
Gu Yue stared blankly at the entrance Su Yueqing had used earlier.
"...Then how did Cousin-in-law know?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Because that was the most terrifying part.
Su Yueqing should not have known.
There was no possible way for her to know.
She had only entered the manor today.
Xi Yunhao slowly frowned.
"Could someone from her family have investigated us beforehand?"
Xi Yunchen immediately shook his head.
"No chance."
He leaned back slightly before speaking more seriously than before.
"She did not sound like someone pretending."
The hall quieted again.
Because they all remembered it clearly.
Those thoughts.
The way they suddenly appeared inside their minds naturally, casually, almost carelessly.
As though Su Yueqing herself did not realize anyone could hear her.
Little Xi Anran suddenly raised her small hand innocently.
"I know."
Everyone turned toward her.
Xi Anran blinked seriously before saying in a tiny voice,
"New Sister-in-law must be a magician."
Silence.
Then—
Xi Yunchen almost choked.
Gu Yue covered her mouth instantly.
Even Xi Qianqian looked like she wanted to laugh despite the tension.
"A magician?" Xi Ronghua repeated.
Xi Anran nodded confidently.
"She knows secret things."
"She also talks inside everybody’s heads."
"And she knew Mother was poisoned."
The little girl lowered her voice mysteriously.
"She must have magical powers."
Xi Yunchen finally laughed again, though this time the laughter sounded weaker.
"Well... honestly, that explanation makes more sense than anything else right now."
Xi Yunhao rubbed his forehead tiredly.
"This is not funny anymore."
"No," Xi Yunchen admitted while glancing toward the doorway thoughtfully. "It really isn’t."
Because the more they thought about it—
The more frightening Su Yueqing became.
She knew things she should not know.
She spoke about the future as casually as discussing the weather.
And worst of all—
She seemed completely unaware that the entire Xi family could hear every terrifying thought inside her head.
At the front of the hall, Zhao Rui slowly narrowed her eyes.
The wrinkles around her face deepened slightly as she thought carefully about everything that had happened since Su Yueqing entered the manor.
Then finally, she spoke coldly.
"From this moment onward, nobody repeats a single word of today’s events outside this hall."
Her sharp eyes swept across everyone present.
"Not to servants."
"Not to outsiders."
"And especially not to Su Yueqing herself."
Everyone immediately understood why.
Because if Su Yueqing discovered that they could hear her thoughts—
Then whatever strange connection existed between them might disappear.
And right now...
Su Yueqing might be the only person who knew the future destruction waiting for the Xi family.