Chapter 134: Mingruo’s Breakdown

Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Mingruo’s Breakdown

Looking at Zhang Yun’s pure and natural smile, Ouyang Mingruo suddenly calmed down.

"I believe you."

"Are you afraid I’ll kill you?"

Zhang Yun aimed the gun in his hand at her, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

Ouyang Mingruo shook her head. "I’ve known them longer, but combined, they don’t amount to the trust I have in you. Whether there’s a misunderstanding or a hidden truth, I don’t believe you’re on their side."

Her words brought Zhang Yun great comfort, making everything he had done for her feel worthwhile. Otherwise, he would have had to consider leaving her to face this alone.

"Come take a look."

Zhang Yun took her hand and led her over to see the corpse.

Seeing the blown-off head, Ouyang Mingruo gasped in shock. "This is..."

"What about this one? Look familiar?" Zhang Yun pointed to another woman.

After the shot was fired, this woman, who had been screaming, had played dead. Now, she was trying to escape, but the pain from being kicked in the crotch was so severe that she could only crawl.

"It’s those two women from the rest area?" Ouyang Mingruo exclaimed in surprise.

"His subordinates." Zhang Yun pointed at Uncle Zhong.

Ouyang Mingruo was shocked once more!

Even after recognizing the assassin who had held her hostage at the rest area, she was still willing to believe that these women were the real enemies, and that Zhang Yun and Uncle Zhong might have just had a misunderstanding because the enemy had shown up.

But that single sentence shattered all her illusions!

"Uncle Zhong is completely loyal to the Ouyang Family..." Ouyang Mingruo looked at Uncle Zhong and muttered, "Why?"

Uncle Zhong, who had been coughing up blood just a moment ago, was now lying on the ground playing dead. As for the seven subordinates, seeing that their attempt to sow discord had failed, they quickly scrambled toward the building in the back while Zhang Yun’s gun wasn’t aimed at them.

The gunshots and screams had alerted the people inside the house, and now some were starting to come out.

"The water we drank was spiked with sleeping pills. Out of caution, I started recording after I woke up. Take your time and listen! I won’t waste my breath badmouthing anyone," Zhang Yun said.

At his words, Ouyang Mingruo immediately realized what had happened. She had planned to focus all her attention on dealing with Ouyang Chunqiu and her father—so how could she have possibly gotten sleepy and dozed off?

Zhang Yun quickly surveyed the scene. The front door of the large house ahead was open, and several people had run out. The seven who had fled were rapidly explaining the situation to them.

The woman he had sent flying with a kick to the crotch, after crawling a short distance, was now staggering back toward the house as well.

Zhang Yun turned around and hoisted Uncle Zhong up by his collar.

"I don’t care if you’re playing dead or genuinely unconscious. Tell your wretched Second Master to get out here!"

Uncle Zhong’s head had been drooping, but upon hearing this, he immediately spat at Zhang Yun. "Pfft! Who do you think you are? How dare you disrespect the Second Master?"

Zhang Yun calmly dodged the spit. Waiting for him to finish speaking, he then smashed the gun against the other side of Uncle Zhong’s face!

Teeth and blood flew instantly. The intense pain rendered Uncle Zhong completely speechless.

Zhang Yun dragged Uncle Zhong toward the door.

"Halt!" The original seven, combined with those who had come out from inside, totaled over a dozen people. All of them were now gripping iron bars.

"Just you lot?" Holding Uncle Zhong with one hand, Zhang Yun aimed the gun at them with the other. "Why don’t you count and see how many bullets I have left!"

The group stood at the door, not daring to charge forward, ready to duck back inside at a moment’s notice.

Even if Zhang Yun emptied all his bullets, he still had another gun—and they each only had one life!

During this brief standoff, Ouyang Mingruo skipped through the recording, listening to the key parts. Now, she understood everything!

Uncle Zhong was indeed loyal to the Ouyang Family, but he wasn’t loyal to her, Ouyang Mingruo; he was loyal to her uncle, Ouyang Qilin!

Tonight, Mingruo was hit by a third devastating blow!

It turned out her father had been telling the truth—there was a misunderstanding. It wasn’t Ouyang Chunqiu who wanted to kill her!

Ouyang Mingruo walked forward step by step, her accusations raw and hoarse. "Uncle! So, from the very beginning, you’ve been using me as your weapon? You orchestrated this bitter infighting to make Ouyang Chunqiu and me slaughter each other?

"All the blackmail material and evidence of Ouyang Chunqiu’s crimes, all the malicious attacks against me, including the attempts on my life—it was all your doing?

"Your target wasn’t just me and him, but my dad? Your displays of affection and care for me, your supposed disappointment in my dad for having an illegitimate son, and all your so-called support and grooming of me... was all of that just a part of your scheme?

"It’s laughable that I thought I was so smart, only to be someone else’s blade—a blade thrust at my own family!"

Just a moment ago in the car, she had treated her father with such hostility. She had threatened to butcher her half-brother and dared her father to kill her... The memory twisted her heart with agonizing pain, filling her with self-hatred.

"Come out!"

"Sigh..." At this moment, a sigh echoed from inside the door. A figure could faintly be seen appearing in the main entrance, though he didn’t step close to the threshold, wary of Zhang Yun’s gun.

"Stop right there. Don’t come any closer. Your little boyfriend stole my gun, but did you really think I wouldn’t have another?"

As he spoke, a loud BANG rang out! A bullet struck the ground just a few meters ahead, serving as a grave warning.

Zhang Yun immediately knocked Uncle Zhong unconscious to prevent any further complications. He positioned the man in front of him as a human shield and stopped Ouyang Mingruo from advancing.

"Why?!"

Ouyang Mingruo was losing control of her emotions as she roared, "Did I offend you, or did my dad offend you?!"

Inside the house, Ouyang Qilin’s voice was perfectly calm. "Mingruo, you’re an outstanding girl. It’s a pity you’re not my daughter... Offend? Not at all. It’s simply that I have the capability, and just happen to harbor a little ambition!"

"Even if I’m not your daughter, I’m still your own niece! For the sake of your ’little ambition,’ you would have your nephew and niece slaughter each other? You even tried to kill me time and time again?"

The respect Ouyang Mingruo used to hold for her uncle was now matched only by her despair!

Because she had found out early on that Ouyang Chunqiu was her father’s illegitimate son, a deep thorn had always existed in her relationship with her father. Her biological uncle, who had treated her so well since childhood—offering her endless help, support, and care—had become the person she trusted most.

Now, learning the truth behind it all—that even his childhood affection might have been part of a long-term scheme—caused her trust in familial bonds to crumble all over again...

Ouyang Qilin spoke with genuine regret. It was clear that he truly admired and cared for this niece of his. "In a system that values legitimate succession, if a Princess and Prince are still around, even if a Prince usurps the Emperor and seizes the throne, his reign will lack legitimacy. He will never earn true loyalty.

"Just because he’s a few years older than me, I can’t be the family heir, and my children have even less of a chance. That’s not fair. I’m fighting for myself, but also for them! As I said before, if you were my own daughter, I would have gladly elevated you to the pinnacle of power!"

"Since you tried to kill me time and time again, why didn’t you just let them finish me off at the rest area? Why trick me into coming here?"

Ouyang Mingruo’s mind was in utter turmoil. A part of her felt it would have been better to die at the rest area—that way, the image of her respected elder wouldn’t have collapsed. Yet another part of her felt unwilling to accept such a fate, knowing it would have been a terrible betrayal of her father.

"Because his goal has already been achieved!" Zhang Yun said, having already untangled the complex web of motives.