813 Retreat in Order to Advance 3

"I'll just ask one last time. Are all of you really willing to help me?" Lei Chen asked, looking rather nervous.

Jun Wu Xie nodded.

Lei Chen suddenly slumped back into his chair gasping for air, not knowing whether it was due to him having been overly anxious or was it due to having the big rock in his heart lifted. He was in no hurry to speak and merely continued to stare at Jun Xie, Hua Yao and the others one after another, trying to ascertain just how serious the companions were as he studied their expressions.

Although all these people were extremely important to him, but could he truly trust them?

"Since little brother Jun already knows who the culprit is, you would undoubtedly know that person's identity. So, it must be clear to you that even as the Crown Prince, I am just merely a child to be used and manipulated before his eyes. In terms of title and authourity, I am inferior in both instances to him. If little brother Jun has any something you want to get from me, that person would instead be able to give you so much more that I ever could. Despite all these, you are all still willing to help me?" Lei Chen asked, looking directly at Jun Xie. He had come to understand, among this group of youths from the Zephyr Academy, the one who really led them all was instead Jun Xie, the youngest one among them.

Lei Chen's tone of voice had changed from before, a little less of the smiles, replaced by a tinge of seriousness.

His words had caused Qiao Chu to widen his eyes in surprise, as they filled up with confusion.

[Jun Wu Xie already knows the culprit that was going against the Crown Prince? How come none of the others knew anything about it?]

Qiao Chu's confused eyes turned to look at Jun Wu Xie and it turned out that Jun Wu Xie couldn't even be bothered to spare him the briefest glance from the corner of her eyes. Qiao Chu racked his brains to recall it but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't remember Jun Wu Xie having mentioned anything about knowing the identity of the culprit that was going against the Crown Prince yesterday!

He was just about to open his mouth to whisper to Hua Yao to ask when Hua Yao merely glared at him and looked away.

"I do not go against me who do not act against me. It was a fact that the Zephyr Academy had initially not harboured any intentions of working with Your Highness before and we have no need to fear anyone. Our alliance here now is for no other reason than because the other party had used our Zephyr Academy as a tool to create an issue. Although the Zephyr Academy isn't as big and as prestigious as before, but we are however still no easy pushover that allowed itself to be manipulated and used so easily." Jun Wu Xie said with an icy laugh.

Lei Chen's eyes stared at Jun Xie. It was true that before yesterday, Jun Xie and the others had not once initiated to meet with him and it was only after the incident came about that they had taken actions contradictory to their usual demeanor.

"If that is truly the case, then please accept a bow in gratitude from Lei Chen!" Lei Chen stood up and without another word, he bowed respectfully towards Jun Xie and the others, bending low at the waist. 

Even before such a big gift of humility from a Crown Prince no less, Jun Wu Xie was completely unmoved, accepting the show of gratitude easily.

"I will ask for my revered guests to wait a moment. I have something I would like to show all of you." Lei Chen straightened up and immediately went out of the dining room.

After Lei Chen had left, Qiao Chu could no longer hold himself back as he turned instantly to Jun Wu Xie and asked anxiously: "Little Xie! Who is so dead against the Crown Prince! ?" How did you manage to find out?"

Jun Wu Xie slowly picked up her cup of tea and sipped at it, her eyes lowered before she said: "I do not know."

"Har! ?" Qiao Chu was at a complete loss for words.

[She doesn't know! ?]

"I was just misleading him." Jun Wu Xie replied as her eyes turned to look at Qiao Chu calmly.

"….." [Misleading him…..] Qiao Chu's eyes staring at Jun Wu Xie were wide as marbles as mind blowing shock registered in his brain. Jun Wu Xie's every single words had been sharp and cutting, pushing at Lei Chen incessantly, whereby even he himself had been influenced and became highly excited! But…..

[She was just leading Lei Chen by the nose all that time?]

"Then….. Then….." Qiao Chu began to stutter.

Jun Wu Xie knew what he wanted to ask and she answered him directly: "It's either the Emperor or the Fourth Prince. To make Lei Chen believe that we are genuinely willing to help him, we would naturally have to make him think that we know the culprit's identity and that we are not concerned with his title or position before he will be convinced."