Chapter 84: Cooperation

“How did you know?” Chen Yunze asked, feeling a sense of being trapped.

“Little wolf, you…”

“You’re the wolf, I’m the pig. Don’t hunt.”

“You’re the pig, then I guess you don’t want to guess either?”

“If you’re a cat, I’ll guess… Ugh, now’s not the time for jokes.”

Lu Yunze stood up straight away. He was a head taller than Jiang Sui, and as he stood in front of her, the light from the window cast his shadow across her neck, his presence pressing down with intensity.

Right now, Lu Yunze felt two things.

“How did you know the entire class was dismissed?”

“Young Master, did you forget I have that childhood friend?”

Jiang Sui casually twisted a small lock of her ash-brown hair.

“We’ve always kept in contact. Of course, she’d tell me something like this.”

Lu Yunze stroked his chin and asked again, “Then how did you know I was taken away by the police?”

Jiang Sui paused, then gave a gentle laugh, like she was coaxing a child who was both cute and exasperating.

“Young Master, you went in personally. It’s only natural that the police would call you in for questioning.”

To make Chen Yunze believe her, Jiang Sui even pointed out that the window of her bedroom faced the front yard gate, so she could clearly see what was happening toward Nan Hua Country.

In other words, when Chen Yunze was called away in front of the mansion, she could see everything.

“Was there really such a thing?” A Yunzhu couldn’t help but mutter, “You really have quite a suspicious skill.”

It felt as if there were no secrets that could escape her, and it sent a chill down his spine.

Seeing this, Jiang Sui leaned forward slightly, closed her eyes and lowered her head, as if she were waiting for something.

“Grandmaster.”

“If Young Master thinks I’m dangerous, you can deal with me right now.”

Jiang Sui pointed to her own fair neck.

“After all, this neck belongs to Young Master. If I give it back to you, it’s not a big deal. It can even be used to pay off my mother’s debt, so she wouldn’t have to worry about repayment anymore.”

Lu Yunjin’s gaze fell on that slender white neck, silent for a long time.

Just as she said, as long as A Yunze made a move, Jiang Sui, who was this close, wouldn’t have any chance to dodge.

If he twisted her wrist with his strength, Lu Yunzhu could easily break her arm. And handling the body afterward would be no trouble at all. With the Lu family’s resources, covering up the disappearance of a single maid would take almost no effort.

Jiang Sui waited, but she didn’t really expect A Yunze to attack. Instead, she heard him give a soft, faint sigh.

“If you say this in front of others, you might really end up dead.”

“It’s only because you’re Young Master that I can let my guard down.”

Jiang Sui straightened up again.

“I know you’d never hurt me. You’d never bear to.”

What she said wasn’t wrong, and Chen Yunze looked away, avoiding her bright, lively eyes.

He sat back down in front of the computer, moving the mouse to open a performance video from his browser’s bookmarks.

“You know these things, but don’t go spreading them around. There are too many people in the manor, someone’s bound to notice something.”

After their first confrontation, A Yunze was clear about Jin Quan’s way of doing things.

He could torch the clubroom, and he could blow up the manor if he wanted.

“Is Young Master feeling overwhelmed?” Jiang Sui asked, “The school festival is coming up, but you still have to deal with these troublesome people.”

“You can even tell that?”

“Young Master’s heart is far too simple. You don’t even need to say it.”

Lu Yunze couldn’t refute her, so he just pressed pause on the performance video.

“Do you need me to help analyze things for you, so you can make a decision?”

“No need.”

“Huh?” Jiang Sui tilted her head.

“It’s just a choice, I’ve been prepared for it.”

Lu Yunze said, “As for the school festival, I can always prepare for it next year. But if I don’t deal with Jin Quan right away, I won’t ever have a peaceful day.”

Jiang Sui looked at him quietly and asked,

“Is Young Master willing to give up the school festival?”

“Of course.” When A Yunze saw her expression, he paused. “Why do you ask? Is it that strange?”

“No, I just find it admirable that someone who always hesitated suddenly became so decisive. I’m very happy.”

Jiang Sui said as she made a wiping motion at her eyes.

“Our little Yun is finally all grown up.”

“Don’t say it like I’m your child,” Chen Yunze muttered offhandedly.

While she pretended to wipe away nonexistent tears, Jiang Sui’s lips also curled up in a secret smile.

Even if Lu Yunzhu chose not to interfere with Jin Quan and focused only on the festival, Jiang Sui would still have led him to make the same decision.

Jin Quan’s appearance was a perfect opportunity for him to hone his skills as an official.

So Lu Yunze still had some backbone, saving Jiang Sui the trouble of putting on an act.

“Not bad, Young Master. So, what’s your next step?”

“Of course, I’ll cooperate with the police and help with the investigation,” Chen Yunze crossed his arms. “The sooner this is over, the less likely other people will get dragged in.”

“What about the school festival, have you thought of a solution for that?”

“No.”

Since he had to put his whole heart into helping with the capture, there’d be no time for piano practice, and deep down Lu Yunze had a bad feeling this wouldn’t be over anytime soon.

Frequent outings and working with the police were unavoidable, and he might even be busy on the day of the school festival.

“Looks like I have to make a choice,” A Yunze’s voice was a little hoarse.

“Young Master doesn’t have to give up on the festival.” Jiang Sui spoke up. “I actually have a way for you to focus on dealing with Jin Quan, but still not have to give up on the festival performance.”

“For real?”

Jiang Sui suddenly hesitated, as if deciding whether to speak.

“For this to work, you must promise me two conditions—no exceptions.”

“What conditions?”

“First, you can’t tell anyone about our cooperation.”

“Not even Luo Yao?”

Lu Yunjin reasoned that Luo Yao was an important ally in combat. If she helped out, he wouldn’t have to worry about Jin Quan launching an attack.

Previously in Ankang Town, Luo Yao had shown great power, helping the Police Station eliminate the criminal gang.

“Especially Luo Yao. You absolutely cannot tell her,” Jiang Sui said, with a hint of slyness.

“Why?”

“Because Miss Luo is far stricter than Young Master. To be honest, I’m actually borrowing the help of that childhood friend of mine. If Miss Luo finds out, there might be more trouble.”

“Has your friend ever done anything against the Lu family’s interests?”

Jiang Sui turned away, with a faint smile on her lips.

“She’s only ever worked for herself. She has no reason to go against the Luo family. And it’s not about that. If you cooperate with her, you’ll be able to handle everything on both fronts.”

“Could it be Kong Yang?”

So, she was suggesting he use Luo Yao as an exchange for the help of a specialist?

Lu Yunze didn’t know much about the friend Jiang Sui spoke of, nor did he know if he could trust this specialist.

“If you don’t trust my friend, does that mean you don’t trust me either?”

Lu Yunjin fell silent.

Jiang Sui liked to say all sorts of strange things, making herself sound mysterious and complicated, but in reality, she only had a clever mind without matching strength.

Should he trust her?

That wasn’t a joke!

This was the maid who had helped A Yunzhu many times already. If she really had ill intentions, Lu Yunze would have died many times by now.

“Fine, I promise you that condition. What’s the second?”

“The second is much simpler.” Jiang Sui straightened her collar. “I need something only Young Master can give—money. To be precise, my friend needs the money. If you want someone to work for you, you need to pay them, right?”

“That’s not a problem, as long as the price isn’t too outrageous.”

Spending some money to save his own and everyone’s lives was worth it for Chen Yunze. Worst case, he’d just cut back on his game spending for the rest of the month and wait until next month for his allowance.

So their cooperation was happily settled, but there was one thing Lu Yunze had to make sure of.

“Aren’t you worried I’ll sell you out when things get dangerous?”

Jiang Sui was about to leave, but stopped at his question. “Because I trust Young Master.”

The crystal pendant she wore shimmered with light, leaving Chen Yunze speechless.

In the days that followed, Lu Yunjin quietly assisted the Police Station in investigating Jin Quan.

He went out even more often, but most of the time he could use school, class, and piano lessons as an excuse.

Even when it wasn’t during those times, Chen Yunzhu would have Jiang Sui cover for him. The two of them worked together seamlessly, and Luo Yao never noticed a thing.

Every time they fooled Luo Yao, Chen Yunze would breathe a sigh of relief, but deep down he felt a bit uneasy.

But as for Jiang Sui, after Luo Yao left, she was almost bursting with delight.

“What are you smiling about?”

“Nothing, am I smiling?” The little maid tilted her head, feigning innocence.

“You’ve been smiling nonstop, your mouth hasn’t even closed. Is tricking Luo Yao really that fun?”

“Young Master, you’re being unfair with your words,” Jiang Sui raised her little fist. “I was just happy that Miss Luo was kept out of danger.”

With such a proper excuse, Chen Yunze really had no way to refute her.

“A secret like this, as long as you and I know, that’s enough.”

In Jiang Sui’s eyes, a glint of sly light flashed.

Time moved quickly, and just as the Police Station was about to capture Jin Quan, the days of the school festival and the investigation overlapped.

The worst-case scenario had happened.

“He Da-ge, we’ve already bought milk tea and snacks, just waiting for you to get on stage.”

“Wow, you guys are really well-prepared.”

“Of course, we’re all looking forward to your performance!”

“Alright, thanks then. I’ll get ready.”

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yunjin let out a heavy sigh and returned to the preparation room.

He had even ordered a custom suit online for today’s performance. Even if he wasn’t as obsessed with appearances as Luo Yao, he should still look presentable.

“Young Master, you look so handsome right now, I almost want to take you home myself.”

Lu Yunze turned around at her words and looked at Jiang Sui, who was sitting with a smirk. “Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Don’t worry, Young Master. I’ve already informed my friend,” Jiang Sui patted her big white hand. “You just go out there and do your best. Leave the rest to her.”

Really, can it work?

Even with all the preparations, Chen Yunze still felt like a mountain was pressing down on his heart.