“Ah, this…”
Zhao Mingyue stared at the video of mid-sprint panic on her Mobile Phone and fell into silence. The footage was extremely shaky, filmed on a secluded street. Besides the sound of Lu Liangting running, faint shouts could be heard from behind him.
One thing she could clearly sense was that this person Lu Liangting was running with genuine desperation.
Judging solely by the video, one might think he was being relentlessly chased by some rabid dog.
“Two madwomen… Are they really that crazy? Even someone with as good a temper as Lu Liangting is being chased like this. What on earth did they do that was so terrifying?”
What she didn’t know was that Lu Liangting had been walking normally down the street moments ago when two women suddenly jumped out. One, dressed revealingly, pretended to be harassed by a drunk, deliberately trying to lure him to her rescue. The other had driven some street punks to pick a fight with Lu Liangting, then planned to jump in and save the day.
Simple methods. Their only goal was to attract Lu Liangting’s attention, nothing more.
Before they could even begin trying to win him over, they first had to get acquainted with him. If conditions weren’t met, they’d create them—simple and direct.
Had they not seen previous examples of failure, they might have just tried to abduct him outright. Drag Lu Liangting away; he’d go from a stranger to an acquaintance whether he liked it or not.
And so, the two ran right into each other.
The girl playing damsel in distress didn’t wait for Lu Liangting. Instead, she got a street punk whose sense of justice suddenly flared. After the bum harassing her was kicked flying, the girl was dumbstruck. The punk had just started brawling with the drunk when the other girl—hiding on the other side, aiming for the heroine-saving-beauty routine—charged out and collided directly with Lu Liangting, who had been hiding nearby watching the spectacle. The two of them stood there staring at each other.
Just at that moment, she delivered a straight kick, sending the punk flying.
The atmosphere… calling it awkward would be an understatement.
The two girls exchanged a glance and instantly understood the other was there to snatch the target. Simultaneously deciding to strike first, they lunged for Lu Liangting without a second word.
Lu Liangting, still in a daze from the senseless drama he’d just witnessed, saw the two girls suddenly charge at him like madwomen. His escape was purely instinctive. Who knew the two chasing him would only pursue harder seeing him run?
At this point, the two girls were still just “strange,” not yet worthy of the title “Lunatics.”
That changed when Lu Liangting saw them start throwing Knives and specially crafted projectiles at each other as they ran. His expression finally shifted completely. Both of them were highly skilled fighters, but even experts sometimes got hit in a scuffle. Yet, even with a knife stuck in her leg or a dart embedded in her chest, neither showed any sign of stopping.
The one with the throwing knife in her leg even mocked the other, the gist being: “Your tit got stabbed, it’s ruined.”
The other’s answer was even more outrageous. She said:
‘Idiot, I still have another one…’
What made it even worse was that every now and then, a few knives would fly in his direction, and he had no idea who was throwing them.
Back in the Convenience Store, Zhao Mingyue had been waiting for a long time. Only after over twenty minutes did Lu Liangting’s message finally come through.
He sent a voice message, clearly too busy to type. He was audibly out of breath.
“Mingyue, give me another twenty minutes. I’ll be there soon.”
Zhao Mingyue hurriedly replied with an ‘okie-dokie,’ afraid that if Lu Liangting didn’t get her response, he might actually ‘die of anxiety.’
“Did I message him at a bad time?” Putting down her phone, Zhao Mingyue wondered doubtfully.
She hadn’t expected Mr. Lu Liangting’s life to be so… “colorful.” Any random time she texted, he’d be right in the middle of being chased by girls.
“It’s fine. Let him come on his own,” Bai Yu said flatly.
He could chase all he wanted; it wasn’t like they’d actually kill Lu Liangting.
Time trickled by. Nineteen minutes later, a panting Lu Liangting actually appeared in front of the Convenience Store, not even needing the full twenty minutes.
Pushing the door open, Lu Liangting hurried inside. Drenched in sweat and gasping for air, he could barely speak without breathlessness.
“Sorry… I-I’m late…”
“No, it’s fine. That was pretty fast, wasn’t it?” From behind the counter, Zhao Mingyue scratched her cheek.
A short while later.
Clunk!
A cocktail bottle landed on the glass table. Lu Liangting let out a long sigh and finally settled down.
In the Convenience Store rest area, Zhao Mingyue sat across from Lu Liangting, Miss Rabbit placed beside her. Seeing his condition improve considerably, she finally spoke.
“Lu Liangting, what exactly was happening just now? Who was chasing you?”
Lu Liangting shook his head. “I don’t know them either. Two Lunatics.”
Recalling the two, Lu Liangting felt a headache coming on. They were terrifying, no question.
“Lunatics?”
“Yeah. Very scary Lunatics.”
“Fine, let’s not talk about that. Let me tell you what I mentioned before. Mm… it should be related to your little sister.”
Zhao Mingyue moved to the main topic. Lu Liangting’s expression immediately tightened, entering a state of absolute seriousness, unwilling to miss a single word for fear of skipping any crucial detail.
Starting from the dream she had the previous night, Zhao Mingyue explained it in the clearest, most detailed way possible, not omitting a single detail. After finishing, she looked at Lu Liangting’s deeply furrowed brows and then recounted what the Store Manager had told her that morning.
She went into such detail mainly because she felt this matter was truly important to Lu Liangting.
Putting herself in his shoes, if someone had information about her own older sister, she would desperately want that person to explain it just as meticulously.
That said, she was still keeping her guard up about Lu Liangting trying to steal her girl.
After she finished, Lu Liangting fell into a long silence. He lowered his head, hands digging into his hair, his eyes filled with undeniable pain. Zhao Mingyue saw his eyes redden as he struggled to contain his crumbling emotions. Perhaps because he considered himself a man, he forcefully held back his tears.
After a long while, Lu Liangting’s voice came out. “She… she really is my little sister.”
“Lu Liangting, you…”
“I’m fine. Just remembered some things from the past.” Lu Liangting blinked; his eyes were still faintly red. He fished a photo out of his Mobile Phone: a very cute girl making a peace sign, her smile bright and sunny.
Seeing the girl’s face, Zhao Mingyue was now certain. The girl in her dream was undeniably Lu Liangting’s little sister, no mistake.
Dead, turned into a Red-Clothed Ghost filled with profound Resentment, and the little sister was still worrying about her older brother’s safety.
“Right, the girl I dreamed of… it was definitely her. Lu Liangting, I think… it’s kind of good news. She still remembers you and maintains a clear mind. After you find her, you two can still live together, just like me and Bai Yu…”
Zhao Mingyue thought about it and still offered a word of comfort.
“Thank you. I will definitely find her. Definitely!”
At least knowing some of his sister’s current state… that was more than enough.
Just like Zhao Mingyue said, he still had a chance, as long as he could find her.
The two looked at each other. Zhao Mingyue’s gaze held sympathy, largely stemming from her own experience of losing family.
One could say they both completely forgot the sister’s warning from the dream, neither paying it any mind.
Don’t look for her?
Impossible. They were definitely going to find her!
Just as Lu Liangting was about to say something else, his phone on the table suddenly rang. An unlisted number. Normally, such calls were from strangers. Seeing this number, however, Lu Liangting’s expression darkened considerably.
“Hello. Talk.” After a moment’s hesitation, he answered, his voice ice-cold.
“Lu Liangting, where are you right now?”
A female voice answered from the other end, sounding somewhat deep.
“Out.”
“I want your exact address.”
“No need to pick me up. I’ll come back myself. Tell Gardenia not to make dinner for me tonight.”
“You—!” The woman on the other end got a bit angry, but ultimately restrained herself, trying her best to adopt a gentle attitude and softer tone. “Liangting, you know what I want to say. You also know you’re a bit resistant. But listen to Mother. Mother absolutely wants what’s best for you and would never harm you.”
“Those women outside… just cut your ties with them if you can. Your father has been fuming about this for days. A few days ago, while you were away, a woman named Sun Hanyue sent something to the house. Do you know what it was?”
“A heart. With your name and hers written on it.”
“Do you know whose heart it is?”
“Xia Wu. You know him, right? Your Third Cousin. The Police have confirmed that heart belongs to your Third Cousin. They’re still searching for the killer.”
“Do you know what that package’s letter said?”
“That murderer, Sun Hanyue, called you ‘darling.’ She told you not to worry, that she’d resolve all your troubles. All you need to do is be with her.”
“Your cousin just scolded you in public a few times and spread some trivial rumors about you. And for that, he was murdered. Tell me, can you possibly be with a woman like that?”
Hearing this, Lu Liangting’s expression shifted.
Of course, he knew Xia Wu. Though, the things that person had done to him were a hundred times worse than his mother described. He had publicly threatened to cripple him, said he wasn’t worthy of this or that, and even hooked up with one of Lu Liangting’s betrothed fiancées—a betrothal Lu Liangting himself certainly didn’t want, existing only on paper.
But that nominal status was more than enough. Outsiders only knew that this girl was the Young Master of the Lu Family’s fiancée—and that Xia Wu had stolen her.
Many called him a cuckold for taking no action.
He just hadn’t expected Xia Wu to actually be killed. His heart torn out and mailed to the family home.
“I don’t know. And it has nothing to do with me. Haven’t you always been investigating me? You yourself have never even heard the name Sun Hanyue before.”
“Fine. Let’s put that aside for now. Hurry home. That’s your father’s wish.”
“Also, I saw you were in contact with two strange women again today. I’m telling you—”
Lu Liangting hung up and sat wordlessly in his chair.
In contact with two strange women…
Was that what he wanted?
His mind was a chaotic mess. Lu Liangting suddenly felt utterly lost in his life.
The issue he wanted to solve most was still his little sister. The only good news was that the leads and clues about her were increasing. For that, he had to thank Bai Yu. Without her, he’d probably be dead by now.
The atmosphere fell into silence. Then, another phone rang.
This time, it was Zhao Mingyue’s phone.
“Store Manager?” Seeing the caller ID, Zhao Mingyue quickly answered.
“Hey, Mingyue.” Li Tian’an’s voice came through.
“Store Manager, it’s me. What’s up?”
“Well… it’s like this. I’ve run into a bit of trouble here. I’m definitely tied up for a while. Remember that matter I mentioned solving before I left? Looks like I can’t make it today. Gotta head to the traffic police department.”
Hearing that, Zhao Mingyue suddenly understood.
“Store Manager, you didn’t get caught for drunk driving, did you?”
“Cough, cough… you could say that.”
“…”
“So, Mingyue, I’ll up the Quest reward by ten thousand for you. Take the afternoon off work, go out and relax. When you leave later, lock up the store for me and leave the keys in the usual spot. As for the Quest, just get there before eight tonight.”
“Ah, this… can I handle it?”
“You can. It’s just a small matter. I’ll send you the location pin. Just take a cab; I’ll cover the fare.”
“Ah… fine.” After a mental check with Bai Yu, Zhao Mingyue agreed.
“Alright. I’m hanging up now.”
The call ended. Blinking, Zhao Mingyue hadn’t expected Li Tian’an to actually get caught for drunk driving.
“A Quest?” Across the table, Lu Liangting looked up.
“Yes, dealing with a paranormal case. A commission the Store Manager accepted.”
“Can I come?”
“Mm…”
“I won’t touch the reward money. And you won’t need to take a cab. I’ll drive you there and back. If we leave at eight, we might not return until eleven or later. There won’t be any more cabs available at that hour.”
Lu Liangting also wanted a chance to clear his head. Right now, he absolutely didn’t want to go home. He could already imagine the problems awaiting him if he did.
“Little Sister Yu!” Zhao Mingyue didn’t immediately answer Lu Liangting. Instead, she called out to Bai Yu in her mind. She couldn’t make this decision on her own.
“Sure.”
“Okay. But why?”
“To verify a hypothesis.”
“A hypothesis?”
“Don’t ask now. You’ll understand once we get there.” The Rabbit Doll’s eyes on the table flickered.
The hypothesis Bai Yu had in mind was simple: whether the Ghost Domain’s people were behind this Quest. If so, it meant this Store Manager was still problematic. If not… then it was harder to deduce.
That phone call just now was slightly suspicious. She specifically connected this event to the two prior occurrences.
Those two incidents: the Evil Spirit at Youth Apartment, and Lu Liangting’s little sister.
String this current event together, and it could practically be confirmed.
At that exact moment, on the street Lu Liangting had dashed out from…
The girl with the projectile still embedded in her chest—which she couldn’t remove yet—was strolling along the roadside, muttering to herself.
Suddenly, with the sound of screeching brakes, a black luxury car stopped beside her.
The rear window rolled down, revealing the face inside. It was a face weathered by time yet still retaining its mature allure.
