AEKMEM chapter 37

The bloodstains on his face wiped away and An Qiao finally came to his senses.

He was somewhat troubled.

How was he going to explain the corpses of the Greedy Wolf Star Thieves scattered about?

His disguise as a “low-level elf” couldn’t have done this alone.

Chu Heng must know by now that he’s not the original young master of the An family.

Oh well, if he knows, he knows. It was bound to happen sooner or later anyway since he didn’t put any effort into his disguise. Or, more precisely, he hardly ever pretended. It wasn’t difficult to see that he wasn’t the original An family young master.

I had previously harbored a vague suspicion that he had figured something out. His outburst at the New Year’s Eve banquet when questioned about his identity and his subsequent beating of someone to stop Zhou Xiaoran from revealing the truth was a puzzling reaction.

Thinking about it now, could Chu Heng have guessed back then that he wasn’t the original young master of the An family? Even if he hadn’t, he must have had some doubts when he hastily used light-attribute magic to heal him afterwards.

Therefore, Chu Heng showed no surprise at the sight of the one-sided, bloody massacre in which he was the only survivor.

When he thought back to when he had treated Chu Heng, Chu Heng had innocently asked, “So Qiaoqiao didn’t fully awaken his healing abilities after the failed attempt? He only awakened a portion of them?”

He went so far as to “understand” him, telling him not to be nervous and making amends by saying that the mastermind behind the assassination attempt hadn’t been found yet and that it was normal for him to conceal his true strength.

At the time, he thought Chu Heng was a “good person,” filling in the blanks to prevent exposure.

Now—

Ha!

Chu Heng is truly cunning and treacherous. He saw right through him, but pretended not to. He just watched as he foolishly put on an act.

“Are you all right?” Chu Heng withdrew his hand from An Qiao’s cheek. His brow furrowed as he carefully examined An Qiao from head to toe, worried that he might be injured.

He had rushed here anxiously, unable to imagine what danger An Qiao might have encountered.

When he saw An Qiao again and noticed the bloodstains on his face, he finally understood.

Why hadn’t he dared to upset the “sickly” An Qiao when they were paired by the brain system? He had feared that a sudden shock might kill him. He had patiently advised An Qiao to stay positive, get plenty of rest, and not attempt suicide.

Why was Chu Heng’s first reaction upon learning that An Qiao wasn’t the original eldest son of the An family? Was it so Jiang Qi could destroy all related clues and evidence, preventing anyone else from discovering An Qiao’s true identity?

Why was he so furious when Zhou Xiaoran questioned An Qiao’s identity?

An Qiao was unaware of the turmoil in Chu Heng’s heart at that moment.

“You don’t seem surprised at all?” He slightly raised his eyes to look at Chu Heng, speaking casually.

Chu Heng: “… ”

He then realized that he hadn’t cared about anything else and hadn’t thought to conceal An Qiao’s identity.

“Surprised about what?” he asked, feigning ignorance.

An Qiao didn’t evade the question. He asked directly, “When did you find out that I wasn’t the original young master of the An family?”

“Pretty early,” he replied, glancing furtively at An Qiao’s expression. Ultimately deciding not to lie, he continued, “I knew as soon as you came out of the Star Beast Forest assessment at the Empire’s top military academy.”

However, while he was telling the truth, he concealed the fact that he also knew An Qiao’s true identity as an elf.

It seemed An Qiao was unaware that his other disguise had been exposed as well.

If he knew, the distance between him and An Qiao would only grow greater.

“You knew so early?”

An Qiao took a deep breath. “So you were just acting the whole time? And you watched me foolishly pretend the whole time?”

Chu Heng: “… ”

My wife’s angry, how do I appease him?

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