Xinghe wasn"t led on by him. She said softly, "Tell me, why did you ask to see me?"
Saohuang gave a wicked smile, "Because I knew you would want to see me."
"…"Saohuang predicted we would need his cooperation.
"Actually, there"s a question stuck in my mind, but I cannot figure out the answer on my own, so I wanted to ask you in person," Saohuang said.
Xinghe played along, "What question?"
"Do you know Xia Meng?" Saohuang asked directly. Xinghe was a bit surprised by this question.
"What if I do?"
"According to what I"ve found out, Xia Meng"s life didn"t cross path with yours, but for some reason, she was heavily related to Xi Mubai for a sudden, albeit brief, period of her life, so I was curious. Furthermore, the two of you share the same family name and you two have the same aura about you," Saohuang stated as he stared closely at Xinghe, as if trying to read something from her unconscious movements.
Xinghe smirked. "You"re curious? I"m also very curious as to why you would know so much about Xia Meng. Her life didn"t cross yours as well."
"You don"t need to know why I"m familiar with her, you only need to answer my question." After a pause, Saohuang"s lips curved into a smile. "Of course, in exchange, I will provide you with the criminal evidence on Lin Yun."
This man was clearly no fool; it was no wonder he could corner the Xi family. He had a good sense of the situation and could predict his enemy"s next step; alas, he still lost to them.
"She once came to me for help," Xinghe said with a straight face. "I"m sure you know about her disability, so she came to me asking for an artificial leg to help her regain a normal gait. That was how we met and became friends."
"But Xi Mubai seems to treat her as more than friend." Saohuang was incredulous. "So, your relations.h.i.+p must go deeper than what you"re telling me. Xia Xinghe, if you don"t tell me the truth, I don"t think we can work together."
Xinghe smiled. "Then what kind of truth do you want? Ask me directly."
"Do you know Ye Shen?"
"He"s Xia Meng"s husband."
"Are you two plotting to take something from Ye Shen?" Saohuang asked directly. Now Xinghe understood what Saohuang"s plan was. He still hadn"t given up on the energy crystal. The thing must hold much importance to him since he was still so hung up on it even though he was on death row.
"What could he have that would require us to plot against him?" Xinghe asked in return. Her face was placid, completely unreadable. Even for someone as astute as Saohuang, she was a closed book.
"You"re indeed one hard to read woman," Saohuang commented with a smile. "It"s so hard to get any information from you."
"What do you want to know? Ask and I will answer if I can," Xinghe said generously. Just like that, she gained the upper hand in their negotiation.
Saohuang thought the initiative would be his, but evidently, he was not her match. She was too special; no matter what she did, she was a step ahead of everyone else. Her nonchalant tone and clear eyes were unique as well.
Saohuang sighed once more, "You really do mirror Xia Meng, so much so that I have the sneaking impression that you two are one and the same."
"Don"t simply come to your own conclusion, how much do you really know about Xia Meng and me?" Xinghe retorted directly.
Saohuang nodded. "You"re right, all I have is my gut feeling."
"So, tell me, what do you want to know?" Xinghe asked.