The burning flames filled Lu Yunze’s entire field of vision. After a brief moment of shock, he immediately ran toward them.
“Jiang—”
The piled-up vehicles exploded a second time, forcing him to stop in his tracks as his expression twisted further.
Was I still too late?
I shouldn’t have wasted so much time fighting that guy. I should’ve ended the battle as fast as possible.
The thought of the little maid still trapped inside the blazing car made Lu Yunze want to charge straight into the fire. Even if he had to tear the vehicle apart with his bare hands, as long as she still had one breath left, he would save her.
“Who is it? Don’t bother me… wait.”
Lu Yunze impatiently shook off the hand gripping his shoulder. But after seeing who it was, he froze.
“Young Master, why are you in such a hurry?”
Standing behind him was none other than Jiang Sui. Her ash-brown ponytail, light purple eyes, and puzzled expression all felt strangely unreal to him.
A ghost? Or an illusion?
No… ghosts don’t have shadows.
Lu Yunze reached out again and pinched her cheek. Instantly, veins bulged on the maid’s forehead as she slapped his hand away.
“Young Master, what are you doing?”
“Not a ghost, not an illusion… a real person.”
“If I’m not human, then what else could I be?”
Jiang Sui almost laughed from irritation.
As Lu Yunze spoke, he circled around her, checking carefully. Forget injuries—even her maid outfit wasn’t torn. She looked completely unharmed.
“Weren’t you supposed to be in the car? Then why…”
Lu Yunze pointed toward the burning vehicles behind him.
“Who said I was in the car?”
Jiang Sui sighed helplessly and explained what had happened before he came out. She and several other servants had indeed been attacked. But the man who attacked them clearly had no interest in ordinary powerless people. He simply chased them away, then stacked the cars together as a provocation.
“So you’re really not hurt?”
Lu Yunze still sounded worried.
Jiang Sui’s eyes shifted slightly as she smiled.
“If Young Master doesn’t believe me, then after we get home, you can thoroughly inspect my body yourself.”
“Alright, I believe you.”
He believed her.
But Jiang Sui hadn’t told him everything.
Actually, before Lu Yunze came out, she had intended to deal with that man herself. But after reconsidering, she gave up the idea. Just as expected, Lu Yunze rushed out to save people. While he was beating the enemy down, Jiang Sui had been quietly watching from nearby the entire time.
When the battle ended, she had planned to reveal herself immediately. But after seeing the regretful expression on his face, she stopped.
What a delicious expression.
Especially when Lu Yunze saw the cars explode and stood there dumbfounded—it made Jiang Sui’s heart race and her cheeks flush red.
That’s right. This is the expression I wanted to see.
If Lu Yunze hadn’t tried to rush into the flames, Jiang Sui could have continued savoring that delicious look even longer.
Lu Yunze finally let out a huge sigh of relief. Meanwhile, the smile on Jiang Sui’s face only deepened.
“Young Master, you looked really anxious just now. Were you worried about me?”
“Mm… ahem, I was worried about the Luo family’s servants.”
As he spoke, Lu Yunze scratched his head and turned his face away awkwardly.
“Oh? Really?”
Jiang Sui lightly supported her chin, her eyes filled with reflections of his embarrassed expression.
“No one asked you to sacrifice yourself. Protecting yourself is enough, understand?”
“Then that would mean I failed in my duty. If something like this happens again, I should prioritize others and be prepared to sacrifice myself.”
“Stop. Stop talking.”
Lu Yunze hurriedly covered her mouth.
“Oh my, Young Master’s panicking.”
And it wasn’t fake panic—it was genuine.
In such a short amount of time, Jiang Sui had already enjoyed so many wonderfully delicious expressions from Lu Yunze. It was practically like feasting on delicacies from all over the world.
While Lu Yunze lectured her, Jiang Sui didn’t listen to a single word. Instead, she observed his eyes, his lips, and the true emotions hidden beneath the surface.
The scolding was fake.
The worry and concern were real.
It was so delicious that her gaze became almost obsessed. Beneath her skirt, her black silk-clad legs rubbed together unconsciously.
“Jiang Sui, are you even listening to me?”
“Of course. No matter what Young Master says, I’ll always listen carefully.”
Facing his doubtful look, the girl touched her cheek and silently thought that she’d have to change her underwear again after going back.
After rescuing Jiang Sui and confirming that the other servants were safe, Lu Yunze returned to the KTV to support Luo Yao and Lin Ying. Since the incident had become huge, the police soon arrived and completely sealed off the nearby streets.
By the time the three of them came out, they had practically fought their way through the entire KTV.
The one enjoying herself the most was undoubtedly Luo Yao.
She dragged the half-dead manager out by the collar and tossed him onto the roadside under everyone’s watchful eyes.
Catching him didn’t mean she was going to let him off.
Bang!
Luo Yao swung her hand like a blade beside his head. A sharp wind blade instantly carved a deep groove into the road.
“Still dare to do it again?”
“I don’t dare! I really don’t dare anymore!”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to play with me? I’m standing right here—go ahead.”
“I wouldn’t dare! Miss Luo is someone noble. What am I compared to you?”
After beating him up thoroughly and forcing him into submission, Luo Yao’s mood became incredibly good.
Although their stealth mission had accidentally turned into a direct assault, they still confirmed that this KTV had suspicious ties with the Black Star Cult. The Enforcement Department had already stepped in to investigate.
However, it wasn’t entirely good news.
After hearing the room number from Lu Yunze, Lin Ying had immediately gone there. But she was too late. The room had already been abandoned, and nothing useful was left behind.
The manager captured by Luo Yao claimed he was merely a low-ranking member of the Black Star Cult. The truly important people were the “distinguished guests” who escaped.
Especially the ones from the room Lu Yunze discovered.
“Do they come here often?”
“Yes.”
The bruised and battered manager answered the police obediently.
“They always come here claiming to be high-ranking members, eating and drinking for free, and often demanding pretty attendants to accompany them.”
“You don’t even know their names?”
“Well… they only referred to themselves by their titles. They never gave their names.”
“Titles?”
“Yes. One called himself a ‘Preacher,’ while the other called himself a ‘Bishop.’”
The moment those words came out, everyone outside the interrogation room froze.
When the interrogation results reached the Luo family mansion, Lu Yunze and the others were equally stunned.
“A Bishop?”
Lu Yunze muttered under his breath.
He never expected that he had almost crossed paths with the Black Star Cult’s top leader stationed in Central City.
Maybe I really should’ve attacked them immediately back then.
“Is that all the information?”
“Yes.”
The officer delivering the report looked bitter as well.
“In any case, thank you all for your hard work. Hopefully we’ll have opportunities to cooperate again in the future.”
After saying goodbye to the officer, Lu Yunze remained alone, quietly processing the information.
Luo Yao walked over.
“Brother Lu, are you blaming yourself?”
“A little.”
“Don’t think too much about it. I think you already did well enough.”
Even though Luo Yao said that, Lu Yunze still wore a grave expression and gave no response.
Did I really do well enough?
Even after returning to his room, Lu Yunze continued thinking about that question.
If I had truly done well enough, then the Bishop wouldn’t have escaped.
Jiang Sui survived. But that was mainly because they encountered an eccentric enemy. If it had been someone bloodthirsty and murderous, then by the time Lu Yunze arrived, he would only have found her corpse.
Did I really do well enough?
Not even close.
Inside his bedroom, Lu Yunze lowered the angle of his chair and spun slowly while sighing.
“Hiss… that hurts.”
Although he had quickly defeated the enemy during the daytime battle, the pain from striking that hardened body had been completely real.
Only after returning home did he notice that his calf had started swelling.
That body-hardening ability really was hard. Lu Yunze had suffered quite a bit because of it.
Maybe I should also find a way to become stronger. Then maybe next time, I can do better.
After comforting himself like that with his eyes closed, Lu Yunze’s mood improved significantly.
But when he opened his eyes again, Jiang Sui’s face was suddenly right in front of him.
He nearly fell off the chair in fright.
“Y-you—you… what are you doing?”
“I noticed Young Master seemed injured, so I came to take a look.”
“How did you know?”
Lu Yunze was dumbfounded.
“Young Master, if you really didn’t want anyone to notice, then at least try walking normally.”
Jiang Sui shook her head helplessly.
“So my acting was really that bad?”
Other than Jiang Sui, nobody else had mentioned it. He thought he’d successfully hidden it.
“Come on, Young Master. I prepared a basin of hot water and bought some medicinal wine. Let me treat it for you.”
“No need. I can do it myself.”
Seeing how flustered he was, Jiang Sui didn’t let him refuse. Instead, she took the opportunity to hug his shoulders.
“It’s alright. Young Master already did well enough.”
Lu Yunze instinctively wanted to argue back.
But the warmth of her embrace was impossible to resist.
What a motherly hug.
Lu Yunze surrendered and let her take care of him.
Jiang Sui’s technique truly was skillful. Even though she was only soaking his feet and applying medicine, Lu Yunze somehow felt incredibly comfortable.
He couldn’t help sighing:
“Having a maid like this really is amazing.”
And just like that, Lu Yunze slept comfortably that night, throwing all his worries to the back of his mind.
The next day, inside Luo Tianyu’s study.
“Father, you wanted to see me again?”
The moment Luo Yao entered, she saw Luo Tianyu sitting behind his desk, reading a book with an incomprehensibly profound title.
“Yao’er, I saw everything you did yesterday.”
Luo Tianyu put the book down.
“You abandoned Lu Yunze and acted on your own?”
“Yes.”
Luo Yao pressed her lips together.
“But it’s not like I gained nothing. I still managed to catch—”
Luo Tianyu interrupted her.
The coldness in his voice made Luo Yao’s scalp go numb.
“Yao’er, your performance disappointed me greatly.”
“Do you know where you went wrong?”
Luo Yao took a deep breath.
“Yes.”
“Do you remember how I taught you before?”
“Yes. The family’s interests always come first.”
“So you understand how to correct yourself now, right?”
The confusion and panic in Luo Yao’s eyes gradually disappeared, replaced once more by calmness.
“I understand, Father. I will not forget my mission.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.