Chapter 51: Not Worth Saving?

“Mr. Lu, do you have any particular taste when it comes to tea?”

“Ah?”

Inside the reception room at the police station, Wang Xu suddenly asked this question, making Lu Yunze pause in surprise.

Seeing the bewildered look on his face, Wang Xu gave an awkward smile and explained:

“I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just thinking, if you become a regular here in the future, we should at least have something ready to serve you, right?”

Lu Yunze rolled his eyes at this. He didn’t like tea, nor was he in the mood to drink any upon entering the police station.

“Although a police officer has already asked you once just now, I still want to confirm.”

Wang Xu lowered his voice, even though there were only the two of them here.

“Do you really know nothing at all?”

Faced with the police interrogation, Lu Yunze kept answering “I don’t know,” only saying that his beloved piano was burned and that he’d gone to the rooftop for some air in a moment of frustration.

As for running into Jiang Sui and Jin Shun, no matter how much the people at the police station suspected, he didn’t say a single word.

Even though Wang Xu seemed very friendly, appearing as if he might give him some leeway, Lu Yunze’s expression didn’t change:

“I really don’t know anything.”

“Alright then, you can go. If we need your cooperation again later, we’ll notify you.”

Lu Yunze nodded, then got up. Remembering something, he turned back:

“Didn’t you find anything when you checked the surveillance footage?”

At this, Wang Xu couldn’t help but give a bitter smile:

“The surveillance was destroyed.”

Lu Yunze raised an eyebrow and turned to leave.

They even covered their tracks in advance—this was a premeditated attack.

But what was the reason? Did someone in the Music Club offend a Secret Arts Practitioner?

Or was this a warning aimed at me, with the other party targeting those close to me first?

Thinking of this, Lu Yunze clenched his fist.

What also puzzled him greatly were Jiang Sui and Jin Shun, whom he’d met on the rooftop. Their behavior was so strange that he was certain things weren’t as simple as they appeared.

“Young Master, it’s only been a short while, and you’ve already been invited for tea again?”

After walking a short distance from the police station, Lu Yunze heard Jiang Sui’s voice. He didn’t know when she’d appeared in a small alley by the street, backpack slung over her shoulder, her face full of smiles.

Once she took the initiative to come closer, Lu Yunze finally spoke up, “Jiang Sui, do you still remember what you promised me this morning?”

“You told me not to go to the club classroom.”

“Be honest with me. Deep down, you never planned to stop sneaking over there, did you?” Lu Yunze pressed.

Jiang Sui chuckled softly, “Young Master, you do understand me a bit now. I even wanted to give you a surprise.”

“That so-called surprise of yours also included a life-threatening crisis, didn’t it?” Lu Yunze’s tone suddenly became much harsher.

“Because I believe in you, Young Master. I know you can get through it. Didn’t you do great last time?”

As she spoke, Jiang Sui puffed out her chest, as if quite proud of her words and actions.

But Lu Yunze’s face almost twisted in anger, the fire inside him burning even hotter than that rainy night before.

“But what about the others? Don’t you feel any guilt about dragging them in too?”

“…And what if I said I don’t?”

Lu Yunze took a deep breath, his voice growing even lower, “Jiang Sui, this is the first time I’ve realized how selfish you are.”

Lu Yunze’s words came faster and louder.

“I know you want me to become stronger, so you can rely on me in the Luo Family in the future. But you can’t do whatever it takes and stop caring about being human.”

“Lu Yunze, Young Master, did you take the wrong medicine or something?” Jiang Sui’s expression darkened as well. “Whether I act like a human or not is my own business. What does it have to do with others?”

With those words, Lu Yunze’s face turned pale with anger.

It had been like this since their first meeting. Because she’d helped him so many times, Lu Yunze had tolerated her unpredictable personality. But this time, she’d dragged the club members into it and still dared to make sarcastic remarks afterward. Lu Yunze really couldn’t take it anymore.

“To think it’s come to this, and you can still stay so calm. You can throw dangers you can’t handle at me, but you shouldn’t hurt innocent people just to provoke me!”

Lu Yunze stepped forward, grabbing her arm directly:

“If that’s the case, I’d rather stay a useless good-for-nothing all my life than try to save someone like you—someone not even worth saving.”

Thud!

Jiang Sui heard a heartbeat so painful it felt like her heart was being squeezed. She shouted, shaking off his hand with all her strength.

“Let me go!”

Her reaction was so intense that even Lu Yunze was startled, and Jiang Sui herself was taken aback.

A heavy silence fell, and passersby couldn’t help but look over in curiosity.

Because of her reaction, most of Lu Yunze’s anger faded. After a moment, he sighed, “Jiang Sui, you’ve really disappointed me. In that accident at the Science Building today, a lot of people almost lost their lives because of you.”

“…”

Jiang Sui’s gaze remained fixed on the opposite side of the street.

“With how you are, sooner or later you’ll target me too, won’t you?”

“That explosion had nothing to do with me.”

“What?”

Lu Yunze’s heart nearly stopped.

“The explosion at the Science Building—I only heard about it not long ago. I didn’t even go to school this afternoon.”

“But you said something about a surprise and a secret…”

Jiang Sui was speechless. She just took off her backpack and pulled something out.

It was a white plastic bag containing a cup of milk tea and some pastries.

“When I said I wanted to give you a surprise, I meant I planned to bring these to your classroom myself as a gift to encourage your practice.”

Jiang Sui shook her head, letting out a bitter laugh.

“So that’s how you’ve always seen me, Young Master. You never cared about my good intentions. Well, of course, you have Luo Yao, so you don’t need me to make you happy.”

Just as she was about to toss the things into a trash can, Lu Yunze shouted “Wait!” and grabbed her wrist again.

This time, Jiang Sui didn’t resist, but looked at the anxious expression on his face.

“Young Master, you don’t want to keep humiliating me, do you? If so, then just forget it.”

“No, wait.” Lu Yunze’s tone softened, “If what you said is true, then who was it I saw on the rooftop pretending to be you?”

“What, someone used my face?” Jiang Sui was stunned, then her cheeks flushed with anger. “Who’s so bold, using my face without even paying royalties?”

“That’s what you’re concerned about?”

Lu Yunze almost laughed, but her reaction didn’t seem fake—she was genuinely angry.

So that means—

“You weren’t the culprit.”

“If Young Master still thinks I’m the culprit, maybe you should get your IQ checked… Hm?” Jiang Sui spread her arms, but before she could finish, Lu Yunze pulled her into a tight hug.

Such a strong embrace—Jiang Sui even felt her breath catch for a moment. But feeling his rapid heartbeat, the little maid let him feel her warmth, gently patting his back.

Lu Yunze wasn’t nervous—he was excited.

After concluding that Jiang Sui wasn’t the culprit, Lu Yunze was genuinely happy.

When he finally let go, Jiang Sui spoke gently:

“Young Master, I am selfish, but not so selfish that I don’t care about your feelings. What you treasure is what I treasure too.”

“If you stay selfish forever, you’ll end up cornering yourself one day. Isn’t there another choice?”

Hearing this, Jiang Sui couldn’t help but laugh:

“Young Master, you’re already nineteen. You really don’t have the awareness your position demands.”

People’s joys and sorrows are never the same. If Jiang Sui weren’t selfish enough, she’d have met her end long ago.

Even if Lu Yunze gave up the piano, with the Luo Family’s resources, his other wishes could be fulfilled. But Jiang Sui had nowhere to go—she could only stay under the family name, working off her debt as a maid.

Heaven hadn’t even given her a chance to give up. After transmigrating, she hadn’t lost all her memories from her previous life by running into a rock. If she had, maybe she could live peacefully in the present instead of worrying daily about a doomed ending.

The “identity” she spoke of, of course, referred to the “Original Protagonist,” but Lu Yunze thought she was just being sarcastic about his misunderstanding, so he scratched his cheek awkwardly, “You could’ve just explained things clearly in the first place…”

“It was you, Young Master, who didn’t ask clearly.” Jiang Sui pouted, starting to complain.

Well, on this point, Lu Yunze really had nothing to retort.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yunze placed both hands on her shoulders and spoke earnestly:

“No matter who the enemy is, they’re most likely targeting your life. Go home now, understand?”

“And this…” Jiang Sui pointed to the things she’d bought.

“Take it home. I have something urgent to deal with, but I’ll be back soon.”

“Really? Young Master, don’t try to fool me with tricks you use on little kids.”

Not sure how to show his sincerity, Lu Yunze thought for a moment, then actually stuck out his pinky.

Jiang Sui’s eyes flashed with speechlessness for a moment, silently complaining inside.

Didn’t I just say not to treat me like a child?

If it were anyone else, they’d probably get angry and scold him, but who told her she was his maid?

Only I would feel this much heartache for him.

“Pinky promise—if you break it, you’ll have to swallow a thousand needles, Young Master.”

“That’s so cruel, but I promise, I’ll be back soon.”

After linking pinkies, the two parted again, heading in different directions.

Lu Yunze got a call from a classmate, saying that Wu Xuan had woken up, so he headed to the hospital.

As for Jiang Sui, her face, turned away from Lu Yunze, gradually grew cold, her tightly clenched fists trembling nonstop.