The hurried sound of footsteps approached, and the curtain of Lu Yunze’s tent was lifted. Before she had even entered, Luo Yao started calling out.
“Hey, big brother, why are you hiding here? You made me look for you everywhere… eh?”
After coming inside, she saw not only Lu Yunze, but also Jiang Sui. The former was sitting on the bed, putting away used medical supplies, while the latter was standing quietly to the side, as if waiting for her next order.
“Jiang Sui, why are you here?” Luo Yao’s brows instantly furrowed.
“The doctor asked me to hang the medicine for Young Master, so I brought it over,” Jiang Sui answered with a calm smile, not showing the slightest change.
Although this explanation made sense, Luo Yao still harbored some doubts. But just then, Lu Yunze spoke up as well:
“That’s right, my stomach still feels a bit uncomfortable, so I asked Jiang Sui to get the medicine.”
As he spoke, he shook his big leg twice, pretending as if his injury still hurt.
Since Young Master Lu Yunze had spoken, Luo Yao’s suspicions faded by more than half. But as she looked them over, she still noticed something amiss.
“Jiang Sui, what happened to your leg? It’s so red.”
Even though Jiang Sui had tried her best to cover it up, Luo Yao still noticed the reddish mark that hadn’t yet faded from her thigh.
“This, I just accidentally hurt myself, Miss.” Jiang Sui replied without changing her expression. “I wasn’t paying attention while running and hit a stone.”
“Oh, are you alright?”
“It’s nothing now. I just need a little rest to recover.”
Luo Yao nodded, then looked toward Lu Yunze, pointing at his chest.
“Big brother, why is the side of your neck also red?”
That redness didn’t look like it was caused by a fall at all.
“That… that was from when I got up earlier. I scratched myself, yes, scratched.” Lu Yunze’s smile was quite stiff. “You see, my legs aren’t well, so I’m clumsy after all.”
“Hardy as ever, Lu-gege is always so tough.”
With this, Luo Yao’s doubts were finally put to rest, and she sat down to talk properly with Lu Yunze about what had happened today.
“I think you’re right.”
“Indeed.”
“Yes, I feel the same way.”
Lu Yunze appeared to be earnestly responding, but in reality, his gaze kept drifting to the girl standing beside him.
Truth be told, if Jiang Sui hadn’t noticed someone approaching ahead of time, Luo Yao would have lifted the curtain and seen Lu Yunze sprawled across Jiang Sui’s thigh.
He really wouldn’t have been able to explain that one.
Still, was Jiang Sui’s hearing always this good? Or had he just been too distracted by how comfortable it was, ignoring the approaching footsteps?
It was normal for people to walk by outside the tent and hear footsteps. Luo Yao hadn’t even come near the tent yet, but Jiang Sui had sensed someone was getting close. The differences in physique between people are truly amazing.
When Jiang Sui’s eyes met Lu Yunze’s, her smile grew even more mysterious, as if she was silently praising his acting skills this time.
It seemed her senses were enhanced. Otherwise, he’d definitely have been caught red-handed this time.
Luo Yao’s timing had been perfect. If she’d come any later, and Lu Yunze had continued clinging to Jiang Sui, she didn’t know how many people would have seen that little scene.
No matter how much she tried to avert her gaze from them sitting together, Jiang Sui couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Even if she looked away, she couldn’t block out their voices.
She simply focused her attention outside the tent, listening to the chatter of passersby, and—was that the sound of footsteps approaching again?
Jiang Sui confirmed she wasn’t mistaken. Someone really was coming this way.
The footsteps were light, and it sounded like only one person.
The tent flap was pushed aside, and Jiang Sui thought it might be Lin Ying or someone else she knew. But instead, it was an unfamiliar face.
“Found you.”
The newcomer was a young woman. Aside from the unfamiliar Jiang Sui, Luo Yao and Lu Yunze each showed different reactions.
Luo Yao frowned deeply, as if she’d seen an old debtor who hadn’t paid back money.
Lu Yunze’s expression was a mix of caution and suspicion.
“I remember you, you’re the enforcer from the operations division, right?”
“Didn’t expect you to recognize me. That saves me a lot of trouble introducing myself.” The woman smiled. “Nice to meet you for the first time. I’m Lü Ziyi, and I’m your good friend Luo Yao’s best friend.”
At the word “best friend,” Luo Yao immediately let out a cold snort. “I don’t think I ever welcomed you here, did I? How can you just barge into someone else’s room? Did your family values get thrown into the Central City river?”
“Aren’t you the one who barged in uninvited?” Lü Ziyi, her twin ponytails swinging, wasn’t angered by Luo Yao’s words. “Besides, you’re not the one I’m looking for. The one I’m looking for is… you.”
With that, Lü Ziyi walked up to Lu Yunze, making Jiang Sui’s guard rise instantly.
Lü Ziyi lifted her chin and gave Lu Yunze a once-over, as if evaluating a work of art.
“So, do you need something from me, Miss Lü?”
“Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to thank you,” Lü Ziyi shrugged. “I heard you rushed in and fought the Mistmaster head-on. If you hadn’t driven him out, I wouldn’t have had the chance to finish him off myself.”
“Well, you’re welcome, no need to thank me.”
“Still, if you’d done an even better job and taken care of the Soulmaster directly, you’d have saved me a bullet and allowed the main team to enter the mist even faster. Too bad, I suppose that was just wishful thinking.”
As Lü Ziyi spoke, her tone grew colder, as if she was dissatisfied with Lu Yunze’s performance.
What exactly did this person come here for?
“Did you come to pick a fight?” Luo Yao asked directly.
“Dear, it’s only been half a year, I hope you all haven’t fallen too far behind,” Lü Ziyi said with a smirk.
“Enough with the act, do you want me to report you for harassment?”
Unable to bear Lü Ziyi’s attitude any longer, Luo Yao burst out and shoved her away.
After both had left, Lu Yunze couldn’t help but mutter:
“She really is a strange one.”
“Young Master, I think she considers you her rival in love now.”
“Huh?”
Jiang Sui had already noticed—the relationship between Luo Yao and Lü Ziyi was what people called “rival besties.” She’d heard that in Central City, among the powerful families, there was a Lü Family, and Lü Ziyi probably belonged to that clan.
With the constant struggle between big and small families, Lu Yunze always managed to show up at these times and, being cared for by Luo Yao, naturally got swept into Lü Ziyi’s line of sight.
“We’ve only met for the first time…”
“Young Master, getting close to you the first time you meet—she really has no shame.”
“I don’t think you have the right to say that,” Lu Yunze retorted.
He still remembered his and Jiang Sui’s first encounter, that rainy night at the Hotel—if he’d wanted to do anything improper, she wouldn’t have been able to escape, making her an even easier target than Lü Ziyi.
“Big brother, look who’s here!”
With Luo Yao’s excited shout approaching, the curtain was pulled open again, and another guest arrived.
This time, it wasn’t a woman but a young man with handsome, scholarly features.
Lu Yunze’s expression changed the moment he saw him.
Another familiar face?
“Bo Yu!”
“Hey, long time no see, Lu Yunze. Still the same as ever, I see.”
The two broke into laughter the moment they met, giving each other a firm hug.
Bo Yu?
Jiang Sui searched her mind for any information about him and did recall something.
The second son of the Bo family, Luo Yao’s childhood friend, and nominally Lu Yunze’s older brother.
“Lu Yunze, half a year gone and you stir up such big news the moment you return.”
“Bro, it was just a coincidence running into that mess.”
“Honestly, when I heard you and Luo Yao had run into trouble, I really did worry.” Bo Yu grabbed his shoulder. “Father’s not home, so I had to come personally to get you two. Are you touched?”
“Yes, yes, you’re the best, second brother, aren’t you?” Luo Yao immediately started teasing. “If you’d come a bit earlier, we’d be even better.”
“Don’t blame me, I only just got back to Central City.”
“Are you the only one here, second brother?” Luo Yao asked. “Where are big brother and big sister?”
“Haven’t seen them. They’re probably still busy elsewhere.”
Aside from Lu Yunze, the current head of the Bo family had four children: two sons and two daughters. The eldest brother and sister were already adults and seldom came home.
Second brother Bo Yu was about to graduate college this year and would soon enter society.
Younger siblings like Luo Yao and Lu Yunze had only started college last year.
Bo Yu was quick-tempered, and since there wasn’t much of an age gap, he’d always regarded Lu Yunze as his real younger brother, and they’d been close since childhood.
After all the things that happened today, seeing Bo Yu again brought a sense of relief and nostalgia for both Lu Yunze and Luo Yao.
He hadn’t come alone—he’d brought the Bo family’s guards and some emergency supplies.
Seeing that Lu Yunze and Luo Yao were both alive and well, those emergency goods seemed unnecessary now.
“I heard you’ve been causing trouble everywhere.”
“News travels fast, huh?”
“With the way things spread these days, you can find it all online.”
As Bo Yu spoke, he noticed Jiang Sui standing nearby and paused.
“So this is?”
“She came back with us.”
Oh.
Bo Yu nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Lu Yunze.
“You’ve really grown up—not the same old Lu Yunze anymore.”
Then he turned to Luo Yao, peering over.
“My dear little sister, don’t be discouraged. You’re still young, there’s plenty of time ahead.”
“Pffft.”
Before Luo Yao and Lu Yunze could figure out what he meant, Bo Yu approached Jiang Sui directly.
“Hello, I’m Bo Yu.”
“I’m Jiang Sui.”
For some reason, Jiang Sui felt uncomfortable under Bo Yu’s gaze. Being introduced like this just made her uneasy.
“Lu Yunze hasn’t treated you badly, has he?”
“Young Master has always been gentle.”
“That’s good. Lu Yunze is a good guy, but he’s way too shy, not like me at all.”
Was this guy trying to sell himself?
Jiang Sui had no interest in men other than Lu Yunze.
Wait, she shouldn’t be interested in any man!
Just as she was thinking this, Bo Yu’s next question instantly changed the mood in the tent:
“How long have you and Lu Yunze been dating?”
Noticing everyone’s odd looks, Bo Yu looked around before finally fixing his gaze on Lu Yunze.
“What? I’m just asking. As his big brother, can’t I care about the girl he brought home?”
So that’s what it was.
Jiang Sui could feel it—the black flames of jealousy flickering from a certain young miss nearby.
Someone’s about to get in trouble.