Chapter 242: The One Who Delays

“A thief? How could a thief get into this mansion?”

The first to regain his composure was Lu Yunze. He immediately clapped his hands sharply.

“Ah… what are you standing around for? Go catch the thief!”

“All the valuables belong to Sister Qiaoying. If we’re too late, she might get hurt by that criminal!”

“Go!!”

Hearing this, Luo Yao gasped sharply.

“Right now!”

“Can’t wait!”

“Wait, doesn’t my sister have bodyguards?”

Seeing Luo Yao’s anxious expression, Lu Yunze, who was slowly following behind, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had always thought that Luo Yao’s tendency to worry was one of her virtues; he never thought he would exploit that very trait. Worse still, Lu Yunze felt little guilt inside.

Why was that? Because right before he left, he had exchanged a glance with Jiang Sui.

As long as he saw that she was safe, most of his guilt dissipated.

Otherwise, when Luo Yao came back, she would resume her interrogation.

Jiang Sui also understood Lu Yunze’s look—it meant she should leave quickly. But Jiang Sui didn’t seem worried at all.

“Hide?”

Jiang Sui pursed her lips, thinking she couldn’t miss the chance to enjoy this farce.

Lu Yunze and the others first went to the bedroom upstairs. Seeing Luo Qiaoying safe and sound, they relaxed.

“Don’t worry about me. I have Ganlan by my side.”

“What about the thief?”

“He went that way.”

At times like this, the complex layout of the ancient-style mansion became an advantage for them to catch the thief. If it were a simple apartment building, the thief would have long disappeared, instead of still frantically bumping around inside the house.

“This place is way too big, isn’t it?”

Even the thief couldn’t help complaining.

He thought his plan was flawless, but he never expected to be discovered. In his panic, he forgot what the way in looked like; otherwise, he wouldn’t be running around chased by servants wielding brooms and mops.

Just then, two figures blocked his path ahead—Luo Yao and Luo Heng.

“Let’s see where you run now.”

Luo Yao cracked her knuckles, already waiting for him to walk into the trap.

The thief sucked in a breath but didn’t stop; instead, he accelerated.

Luo Yao and Luo Heng were momentarily stunned, then spread their arms and lunged at him.

But the thief seemed to see through their moves. Twisting his body, he slipped through the gap they couldn’t cover and ran off in the blink of an eye.

“This…”

Luo Yao was dumbfounded. Her fingers had almost touched the thief, but he was as slippery as a fox.

“Still chasing?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course we chase.”

Luo Yao and Luo Heng were just the first line of defense. After learning they had failed, Lu Yunze planned to intercept the thief on his escape route.

Just then, someone poked his shoulder with a finger.

“Why are you still here?”

Lu Yunze turned his head. To his surprise, Jiang Sui hadn’t left; she had followed him.

“I’m here to help the Young Master.”

Jiang Sui said, pulling a small transparent bottle from her pocket.

“What’s this?”

“Scented lubricant oil.”

“How do you have something like that?”

Lu Yunze was puzzled.

“Lubricant oil is for making rusty gears work again. But this stuff is very effective. You can use it, Young Master.”

Jiang Sui sighed and decided to use her trump card.

“Xiao Yan gave me this lubricant.”

“Xiao Yan…”

The Hidden One?

Mentioning that woman, Lu Yunze now believed this thing could be used for catching thieves.

Lu Yunze took the lubricant, still a bit skeptical.

“Oh, Young Master, guests from the Execution Division have arrived. He—”

“Forget that for now. Catching the thief is more important.”

“Ah, okay.”

With Jiang Sui’s help and tips from Luo Yao and Luo Heng, Lu Yunze positioned himself ahead of the thief’s escape route, hiding around a corner.

Footsteps approached.

He expected hurried steps, but these sounded like a brisk walk, completely unflustered.

‘After shaking off Luo Yao and Luo Heng, he thought no one could threaten him, so he let his guard down?’

Lu Yunze smiled silently. ‘You’re in for it now.’

Watching his timing, Lu Yunze twisted the cap open and poured the lubricant toward the direction the thief was coming from.

“Mm?!”

Immediately, a scream followed, along with the sound of someone falling and sliding across the floor.

Lu Yunze spread out the large burlap sack he had prepared in advance, scooped the thief inside, and quickly tied the opening.

“What are you doing? Let me out!”

“Help! Someone save me!”

“In your dreams. Let’s settle this score first.”

Ignoring the thief’s cries, Lu Yunze hoisted the sack onto his shoulder and carried it to the living room.

Luo Yao and Luo Heng arrived shortly after. Seeing the struggling sack on the ground, they were momentarily stunned.

Lu Yunze was already drinking tea, waiting for them.

“Great!”

Luo Heng got excited.

“Step aside. It’s my turn now.”

Speaking, he rolled up his sleeves, walked to the sack, lifted his foot, and stomped hard.

“So you’re the thief, huh? You dared to target our family. Take this!”

“Thief? I’m not! I didn’t!”

“Still lying? You were running pretty fast. Why aren’t you running now?”

Luo Heng vented on the thief, working up a sweat, then looked at the other two.

“Aren’t you going to stomp? It feels great.”

Lu Yunze bluntly retorted.

“You’re so childish.”

He thought only someone like Luo Heng would do that.

Hmm?

Lu Yunze spotted Luo Yao looking eager.

Though her expression remained calm, her tightly clenched fists were trembling.

Clearly, she was deeply torn between etiquette and desire.

“Since he threatened my sister, I’ll stomp once. Just once.”

Saying this, Luo Yao slowly approached the sack.

Luo Heng even made room for her.

Luo Yao looked at the sack before her, took a deep breath, and then a fierce glint appeared in her eyes.

“How dare you provoke the Luo family! You’re asking for death!”

Luo Yao lifted her foot and stomped hard on the sack. The person inside let out a wail.

“And you almost hurt my sister! That’s an extra offense!”

Luo Yao stomped again, even harder.

“And you refuse to confess! Another offense!”

Luo Yao was completely lost in her own world. With every sentence, she stomped, each stomp stronger than the last.

Behind her, Lu Yunze and Luo Heng exchanged pale, wide-eyed glances.

“Hoo, that felt good!”

Luo Yao wiped the sweat from her forehead. As a finishing touch, she gave the now-limp sack another stomp.

“What do we do with him now?”

After checking with the servants, they confirmed nothing in the house was missing—meaning he hadn’t succeeded.

“Call the police?”

Lu Yunze asked.

“That’s too easy for him.”

Luo Yao flatly refused.

“If we let him go, he might keep committing crimes. We need to make sure he remembers this lesson.”

Just then, Luo Heng spoke up.

“I’ve got an idea. The garbage truck will be here soon. How about we toss him in there?”

“Perfect. Trash belongs with trash. Second Brother, it’s all yours.”

“Wait, why me?”

Looking at Luo Yao shrugging her shoulders, then at Lu Yunze, Luo Heng had no choice but to grin, hoist the sack, and head out.

“You came up with the idea, so you’re the one to carry it out, naturally.”

After venting, Luo Yao’s mood had clearly improved. She sat down, swinging her legs.

“Where’s Jiang Sui?”

“No idea. Probably back to her workstation by now.”

“Forget it. I’ll deduct part of her salary so she doesn’t do that again.”

“Just a salary deduction?”

“What did you say, Brother Lu?”

“Nothing. I said it’s a good deduction!”

Lu Yunze clapped emphatically.

“She ate it herself. At the very least, she should have ordered takeout for all of us, right? Don’t you think?”

His expression didn’t look fake. Since Luo Yao was in a good mood and a bit tired, she didn’t pursue the topic.

Soon, a guest entered—Dong Youer, whom they all knew.

But she looked exhausted, panting, with a few strands of hair sticking to her sweaty face.

As Lu Yunze thought this, Dong Youer spoke in a complaining tone:

“Why are you all sitting here? Weren’t you catching a thief?”

“Didn’t we catch him?”

Luo Yao retorted.

“Huh? Then who was I chasing just now?”

Dong Youer explained that when she arrived and learned they were chasing a thief, she decided to help. She chased a thief out the door, but he got away.

“Wait, if you chased the thief, then who did we just teach a lesson?”

“No idea.”

Dong Youer shrugged.

“Where’s the Minister?”

“What minister?”

“Minister Lu was supposed to visit you today. I came with him. Before I left, I saw him sitting here. How is he gone now?”

Lu Yunze’s heart skipped a beat. He noticed a cup of tea on the table that hadn’t cooled down yet.

“Luo Yao, when you were beating that sack earlier, wasn’t the person inside yelling that we got the wrong guy?”

“What do you mean?”

Dong Youer also had a bad feeling.

“Let me ask: Minister Lu… who exactly is he?”

“Not just anyone. He’s the General Minister of the Donghai City Execution Department—Lu Zhenghao.”

In other words, the entire Donghai City Execution Division was under his command and had to follow his orders.

Lu Yunze broke out in a cold sweat.

“Um, Ms. Dong…”

“Hey, I’m only twenty. Don’t call me that.”

But Lu Yunze had no time to lament.

“If, just if, Minister Lu got beaten up and thrown into a garbage truck, would he get angry?”

“What are you talking about? Even a child would be angry, right?”

As soon as Dong Youer finished speaking, she sensed something was wrong.

“Did you… catch Minister Lu as the thief?”

To that, Lu Yunze and Luo Yao remained silent.

“What are you standing around for? Go save him!”