Chapter 182: Gratitude

My head hurts. It really hurts.

As Lu Yunze’s consciousness began to return, he desperately tried to recall what he had just been doing in his mind.

The underground warehouse, the Boiling Blood… right, that bastard actually locked the door and released toxic gas in an enclosed space!

No, I have to open the door quickly, otherwise I will die inside with the Hidden One.

Lu Yunze still wanted to see Jiang Sui. He wanted to hear her reaction after giving the gift to Xia Youqing, and he wanted to see the happy smile on her face… he even wanted to celebrate Xia Youqing’s birthday with her.

How could I possibly fall here!

Lu Yunze suddenly opened his eyes, roared, and sat up, grabbing the thing in front of him and tearing it with all his might.

RIIIIIIP!

“Waaaah!”

…Wait, why does the texture feel wrong?

When the headache eased slightly and his vision gradually cleared, he realized that he was no longer in the underground warehouse, but in a somewhat familiar room.

He was lying on a sofa, and the thing he was grabbing… was not a door.

It was Luo Heng.

“Lu Yunze, what are you doing?!” The second young master of the Luo family blew his top on the spot. “I know you might admire me, but let’s get one thing straight: I don’t like men, and you shouldn’t look for me to vent!”

Only then did Lu Yunze notice that he was holding Luo Heng’s clothes, and he had just ripped a large hole in them with a single pull.

Before he could even apologize—

The door was pushed open violently.

“Brother Lu, are you awake? I was so worried about you—”

Luo Yao entered with a look of surprise on her face.

Click.

The air seemed to freeze instantly.

She looked at the scene before her, standing petrified on the spot.

“Y-you two…”

She covered her mouth and pointed at the two of them with a trembling finger.

“I can’t take it anymore!! Brother Lu, you aren’t picky at all?!”

Luo Yao completely broke down, screaming and pulling at her hair as she ran out.

…I got misunderstood again.

Lu Yunze rubbed his forehead.

“She misunderstood again.”

“Yeah, a big misunderstanding.” Luo Heng nodded. “So, can you let go of me now?”

“Sorry.”

Lu Yunze let go and sat up.

Luo Heng complained while pouring him a glass of hot water, reminding him to be careful because it was hot.

“Where is this?”

“The police station.”

“What happened?”

Luo Heng recounted the subsequent events.

By the time Lin Ying arrived with the people from the Luo family, they were already unconscious from inhaling the toxic gas.

Fortunately, Lu Yunze had a robust constitution, and that toxic gas was only mildly uncomfortable for him.

“The one who was most worried about you at the time was Luo Yao. Remember to apologize to her later.”

“Yeah…”

Not only that, the matter of the underground warehouse had already been reported to Luo Tianyu, who was currently negotiating with the Execution Division.

“Even Uncle Luo is here; this is no small matter.”

“Indeed. But those are matters for the big shots; we can just wait for the results.”

Luo Heng chuckled:

“Rather than that, I’m more curious: who was that girl with you?”

“Who?”

“You know, the one with purple hair wearing a waitress uniform.”

The Hidden One.

Lu Yunze was slightly startled.

“Damn, you don’t know how moving it was at the time. She was hugging you from behind, and we couldn’t even pull her off.”

…I can imagine Luo Yao’s expression at the time.

“So where is she now?”

“In the dungeon,” Luo Heng said offhandedly. “She woke up earlier than you, and she’s pretty tough. She hasn’t said a thing.”

She’s locked up?

Lu Yunze’s expression changed.

“I’m going to go check on her.”

“Fine. I guess only a man can make a woman talk,” Luo Heng shook his head. “Once a woman gets emotional…”

Before he could finish, Lu Yunze had already walked away.

He put on his jacket, reported his identity, and quickly arrived at the dungeon.

His footsteps sped up involuntarily.

…Why am I worried about her?

Jiang Sui’s face appeared in his mind.

He even imagined the scene of the Hidden One being interrogated, and he felt a wave of discomfort in his chest.

“Hidden One… are you okay?”

Arriving at the cell door—

He froze.

The girl inside the cell froze as well.

She was sitting on the floor, devouring food, with a feast laid out in front of her.

Pork chops, vegetables, rice, and soup.

There was even milk tea and snacks.

She ate until her mouth was covered in oil, looking in a state too good to be a prisoner.

Lu Yunze fell silent.

“…Why is a prisoner like you eating so well?”

“Who said that?” Jiang Sui immediately retorted. “This is an interrogation tactic.”

The police couldn’t conduct a harsh interrogation, so they could only use “soft methods” to make her talk.

So, she was eating with a clear conscience.

Lu Yunze’s mouth twitched, and he simply sat outside the cell door.

“In the warehouse, was it you who saved me?”

Jiang Sui blinked.

Was it not you who saved me?

But she quickly reacted and smiled:

“Of course it was me. Counting this time, I’ve helped you four or five times now, haven’t I?”

“Why do you keep helping me?”

Why?

Of course, it was to make you grow, cultivate feelings, and then get rid of you.

But these things couldn’t be said.

She changed her posture and leaned against the wall:

“Because Jiang Sui trusts you, so I trust you too.”

“…”

Lu Yunze was silent.

He suddenly understood something.

Perhaps the Hidden One and Jiang Sui were very similar.

Both were lonely people.

That must be why they were attracted to each other.

Thinking of this, he felt a glimmer of sympathy for her.

The girl leaned against the wall, looking at the night sky outside the window.

At that moment, her profile overlapped with Jiang Sui’s.

After a long silence.

Lu Yunze got up and left.

Jiang Sui’s eyes widened in an instant, and she rushed to the door:

“Are you serious?! You’re just going to leave?!”

“You’re leaving after I helped you?!”

“Lu Yunze, you bastard!!”

She was so angry she had no choice but to find a way to escape on her own.

Just then—

Clink.

A set of keys fell into the cell.

She froze, looking up.

The guard outside the door had been knocked unconscious.

In the distance, Lu Yunze’s back was retreating.

Jiang Sui was silent for a moment, picked up the keys, and smiled:

“You still have a bit of a conscience.”

The Hidden One’s escape soon caused a small stir in the police station.

Luo Yao was the angriest, cursing non-stop.

The calmest of them all was Lu Yunze.

He kept a straight face, as if none of it had anything to do with him.

“Did Yao’er give you any trouble?”

While playing chess, Luo Tianyu suddenly asked.

Lu Yunze’s hand trembled.

“No, she’s not a child anymore.”

“That’s good.”

Luo Tianyu’s smile deepened:

“If you ever do anything bad and she finds out, I won’t help you coax her.”

Lu Yunze’s expression froze, and he could only manage a dry laugh.