Volume 12
Chapter 17: The Fall of the Morning Star
Of course, Lu Li knew that Zhu Xi wouldn’t be persuaded so easily. Her position was different from his. She had been raised by the Yan family and couldn’t accept personally sending this vast aristocratic family to its grave. Lu Li’s suggestion was colder; he had a more extreme judgment of the Yan family—an organization that had already acted unscrupulously, without a bottom line, and with antisocial tendencies.
He had deliberately said “surrender” in order to lower Zhu Xi’s psychological expectations at the beginning of the conversation. From then on, any sentence would subconsciously feel “better than surrender” to Zhu Xi. Submitting to the Chu family, of course, did not mean becoming a piece of fish meat delivered to Chu Xiaodong’s mouth. Things that are picked up for free are not valuable. Even a three-year-old child knew this, and even his Yibao knew it. How could Lu Li not know?
Persuading Zhu Xi was a protracted battle. There was still half a month until the end of the husband selection, and Lu Li still had half a month to persuade her. He didn’t want to use his relationship with Zhu Xi to kidnap or threaten her, but rather hoped to persuade this princess from a utilitarian perspective.
Lu Li was still dreaming of persuading Zhu Xi step by step, but the cold reality quickly woke him up.
…
“Can we go play with the iron hoop again today?” Zhu Qiao asked, leaning against the window and breathing hot air onto it. The hot air condensed, and Little Qiao drew a smiling face on the misty glass.
“The little kids have to go to school today.”
“School?” Zhu Qiao turned her head. “Can I go to school too?”
Lu Li was thinking about this matter and answered rather casually, “You can. When we get back, I’ll take you to school with me.”
“Then should I go to elementary school or university?” Zhu Qiao began to think seriously.
The complicated thoughts in Lu Li’s mind were replaced by the image of the “big” girl Zhu Qiao wearing an elementary school uniform and a yellow hat. Suddenly, he felt his nose get hot. He reached up to touch it and found that he had a nosebleed. What kind of elementary school student is like that? Lu Li, oh Lu Li, what a sin, what a sin.
He quickly grabbed two pieces of paper and plugged his nostrils.
Zhu Qiao asked, “After I go to school, can I still be with you all day, gege?”
Lu Li smiled. “Of course not. You have to go to class, do your homework, and take exams.”
Zhu Qiao grimaced. “Then can I sneak out?”
“No. I’ll send you back.”
“I’m not going to school then,” Zhu Qiao said aggrievedly.
Lu Li was amused by this little girl. He squatted by the bed and poked her soft cheek. “Little Qiao, did you used to sneak out a lot?”
“…There used to be a tunnel next to the toilet in the ancestral hall. I would occasionally sneak out from there,” Zhu Qiao recalled. “It’s just that it was too stinky there, so I stopped sneaking out later and just waited for Sister Xi to come find me.”
Lu Li ruffled the girl’s head with a chuckle. “Let’s go. I’ll go with you to push the iron hoop. Is it pushing an iron hoop or an iron ring?”
…
Walking on the street holding the happy Little Qiao’s hand, Lu Li suddenly felt that today’s streets were exceptionally deserted. Perhaps it was because it was a weekday; students were in class, and office workers were at work. It was just that at the end of his vision, there were always a few people shuttling back and forth.
Lu Li remembered that in some not-so-exciting movies, the protagonist often died on such a quiet street. This thought was not auspicious, and also a little absurd, but he subconsciously tightened his grip on Zhu Qiao’s hand and shielded her behind him.
Something wasn’t right… There were far too few people. And… someone was watching him. Not just one person, but everyone.
That middle-aged man with the newspaper over there.
The office worker on the right holding a Starbucks-like cup.
The strange woman in the park holding a dog leash but without a dog.
Everyone seemed to be sizing him up, and all their gazes inadvertently converged on Lu Li, making his hair stand on end.
“Little Qiao, it’s a bit cold today. Let’s come back tomorrow—no, the day after tomorrow, okay?”
But Zhu Qiao’s cheerful expression changed. She gripped Lu Li’s hand nervously. “Gege, there’s danger… Don’t go any further.”
Danger… If Zhu Qiao said there was danger, then there was definitely danger… Lu Li had developed an inexplicable trust in Zhu Qiao. He led Zhu Qiao back step by step, and the strange gazes gradually left him. Lu Li immediately realized that he had been placed under house arrest in a disguised form. Someone was deliberately restricting his range of activity.
Who? Besides that madwoman, the Yan Matriarch, who else would do such a thing?
“Little Qiao, let’s go back. I’ll watch TV with you today.”
Zhu Qiao’s lips turned pale, and her eyes grew brighter and brighter. “Okay… let’s go back.”
Lu Li covered her eyes. “Little Qiao, don’t look anymore. Your face looks terrible.”
“…I see so many guns, so many bullets, so many people…” Zhu Qiao’s body was trembling. “They’re all chasing you, gege. There’s nowhere to escape… Gege… gege…”
Lu Li quickly hugged her. “Little Qiao, don’t look anymore. We’ll be fine.” A storm was also raging in his heart. Perhaps the time he had left was not as much as he had imagined. The Yan Matriarch was not a fool. When she found out that Lu Li had won first place in the husband selection one after another, and even knew that Lu Li had taken Zhu Qiao away, would she really just wait for Lu Li to slip away?
Zhu Xi was still too young after all, underestimating the ruthlessness of some people.
Lu Li protected Zhu Qiao as they hurried back to the hotel, a fire of anger rising in his heart. He didn’t know why the Yan family had to kill him. Was it really worth it? No, perhaps in Yan Rujun’s eyes, worth it or not was never the question; it was about wanting to or not.
His and Zhu Xi’s stances were ultimately different. In Zhu Xi’s eyes, Yan Rujun was always her grandmother, her relative. But in Lu Li’s eyes, Yan Rujun was a crazed murderer.
…
After returning to the hotel, the feeling of being watched completely disappeared. Lu Li drew open the curtains and could see that group of people brazenly lingering outside the hotel. He was just about to send a message to Zhu Xi when he found that Zhu Qiao’s face was still frighteningly pale.
The girl’s originally rosy cheeks were completely bloodless, and the bright eyes that had left such a deep impression on Lu Li had suddenly dimmed, like the fall of the morning star.
Lu Li quickly supported her. “Little Qiao, are you not feeling well?”
Zhu Qiao whimpered and shook her head. “I… I’m fine… I’m okay… Gege, before tomorrow night… you must leave… otherwise… there’s danger…”
How can this be called okay? Lu Li was burning with anxiety. He checked Zhu Qiao’s temperature. She didn’t have a fever; in fact, she was ice-cold. He quickly turned on the hot air conditioner, covered her with a blanket, and his mind raced, trying to remember if she had caught a cold recently or had eaten something wrong.
This was not the first time he had seen such a sudden, baseless illness.
He had seen it once before, in An Baili.
It was hard for Lu Li not to connect Zhu Qiao’s abnormality with An Baili’s Price back then.
Fortunately, after a few minutes, Zhu Qiao’s temperature returned, color gradually returned to her face, and her originally weak breathing also became steady. Lu Li poured her a glass of hot water. “Little Qiao, I’ll take you to see your sister tomorrow.” He temporarily didn’t want to think about the messy affairs of the Yan and Chu families. He had to get Zhu Qiao the most thorough treatment.
Zhu Qiao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into tears, crying as she nodded. “Okay…”
