After a whole day of running errands outside, Lu Yunze finally dragged himself back home under the moonlight.
Today had truly exhausted him, but it was also refreshing he hadn’t played the piano this satisfyingly in a long time.
When he said goodbye to Xiao Li, his arms and fingers were unbearably sore.
On the way home, he even dared not drive at high speed.
After putting his beloved street bike back into the garage, Lu Yunze took off his helmet and walked into the courtyard.
Just as he reached for the keys to open the door, the main gate opened by itself.
What greeted him was the familiar smile of the little maid.
“Welcome home, Young Master.”
“How did you know I was back?” Lu Yunze couldn’t help but ask.
“If I said I’ve been waiting at the door all along, would Young Master give me a reward?” Jiang Sui’s eyes curved into crescent moons, clearly expecting Lu Yunze’s answer.
“Stop teasing me.”
Lu Yunze was really tired today and too lazy to argue with her playful teasing.
Walking into the living room, he immediately tossed his motorcycle helmet aside and collapsed onto the sofa, feeling his vision briefly blur.
“Young Master, are you alright?”
Jiang Sui’s face reappeared in his sight.
Lu Yunze immediately perked up and sat upright.
“I’m fine, just realizing how hard it is to make money.”
You have to experience everything firsthand. Lu Yunze had finally come to understand the meaning of this saying, at least somewhat.
Even when doing something he was good at, turning it into work with intense effort still left him feeling exhausted and restless.
Not to mention how many people do work they don’t even like.
For example, this little maid who brought him hot water.
“Why are you sneaking a look at my face?”
“Nothing, I just think you work really hard.”
Lu Yunze covered up his words by lifting the cup of water.
“Being a maid is much more troublesome than what I do, yet you’re still so energetic.”
“Because maintaining one’s appearance is also part of the job.” Jiang Sui’s pale purple eyes flashed with a clever glint. “If Young Master wants to see another side of me, you’re welcome to come to my room tonight…”
“That’s enough.”
Lu Yunze hurriedly cut her off and brought the now lukewarm cup to his lips.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t just plain water it was sweet, like water boiled with red dates.
True to Jiang Sui’s style, after sweating all day and parched from thirst, the sweetest thing he could imagine was something like this.
Setting down the cup, Lu Yunze still couldn’t help but wince from the soreness in his fingers.
He had thought it was just ordinary soreness, but it hadn’t faded at all so far.
It seemed like he’d pushed himself too hard today, causing his tendinitis to flare up.
The moment his palm left the cup, Jiang Sui sat down beside him and chirped:
“Young Master, may I take a look at your hands?”
“I’m fine, resting a bit will do.”
Lu Yunze waved her off, but she grabbed his wrist anyway.
“The most precious thing for a pianist is their hands. You can’t just brush this off.”
She smiled lightly and gently cupped his hand, her fair fingers kneading it softly.
“It hurts here, right?”
“Yeah… it’s alright.”
“Looks like that’s the spot. Still toughing it out, Young Master.”
Lu Yunze ignored her subtle complaints; those vague words were like a veil compared to the true sensation her fingertips brought.
The little maid’s hands worked every day with all sorts of cleaning tools and dirty chores, yet her delicate hands were surprisingly free of rough calluses.
Her pale knuckles lightly pressed against his flesh, her neatly trimmed nails gleaming with a pearly luster, the touch cool like jade.
She was probably used to doing such delicate tasks; her movements were light as feathers yet precise beyond belief.
When her fingertips pressed on the sore points of his palm, neither too heavy nor too light, it was as if the hardened muscles slowly softened in warm water, the numbness seeping through the cracks in the bones.
Outside, the moonlight was quiet and still, while inside the faint fragrance lingering from the girl’s body hung softly in the air.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Sui finally let go of his hand and stood up.
“That does feel a lot better.” Lu Yunze smiled.
“You don’t look too thin, Young Master. To be honest, I can even make you feel ~even more~ comfortable~.”
She bent over and blew warm breath into Lu Yunze’s ear.
“As long as Young Master is willing to come to my room.”
That was much more stimulating than a hand massage. Lu Yunze shivered all over.
What kind of “more comfortable” thing did she mean in her room?
Imagining her nimble fingers, he quickly stopped himself before he lost control.
Seeing him struggle like this, Jiang Sui’s smile grew even more mischievous.
Just as she was about to continue her assault, footsteps sounded from upstairs.
Looks like it was time to stop.
The owner of those footsteps was naturally Luo Yao.
She had come home earlier than Lu Yunze, claiming she wanted to prepare a sumptuous dinner for her beloved Lu brother.
Her hair was still wet from just having showered, and there were obvious damp spots on her nightgown.
“Brother Chen, when did you get back? Didn’t you say you’d let me know first?”
“Well, I…”
Jiang Sui cut off Lu Yunze and said coldly,
“Sister Luo, Young Master just got back. He’s really tired and doesn’t want to trouble you with worries.”
“I see. Brother Lu, you’re so silly.”
Luo Yao giggled and stepped closer.
“If Brother Lu doesn’t let me know he’s safe, then I’d worry. But it’s good you’re back. Want to sit a bit before dinner?”
“No need. I’m almost starving.”
“I knew Brother Lu isn’t so easily worn out.” Luo Yao’s smile grew even brighter. “You go to the dining room first, I’ll go back to my room and dry my hair.”
“Alright.”
After seeing Luo Yao off, Lu Yunze got up and headed to the dining room, with Jiang Sui trailing behind.
“Thanks for the massage.”
“You’re welcome.” Jiang Sui bowed slightly. “If Young Master feels it’s not enough, you can always come to my room…”
“Stop, stop, stop. Can we not mention the room again?”
“What’s Young Master thinking? Actually, I’m really good at massaging other parts too.”
“Oh, is that so… then I must have misunderstood you.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than he saw Jiang Sui raise both hands and make a gesture like gripping an invisible object.
“Want to experience how nimble my fingers are? You just had a taste.”
Sure enough, she was doing it on purpose, wasn’t she?
Luckily, Jiang Sui hadn’t reached the point of forcibly dragging him to her room; otherwise, Lu Yunze would really be in trouble tonight.
After finishing his temporary work, Lu Yunze spent the entire weekend resting at home, almost the whole time playing games in his room.
Come Monday, he went about his usual routine going to school, practicing piano, and dealing with the mischievous little demon Jiang Sui.
Everything was very normal and mundane.
However, that afternoon, just after Lu Yunze returned home from school, he received a call:
“Mr. Chen, please come to the Police Station immediately.”
Hearing Wang Xu’s voice, Lu Yunze paused to think for a moment, and only after confirming it wasn’t a trap did he leave.
Arriving at the Police Station, unsurprisingly, Chief Wang Xu greeted him warmly before getting down to business.
“Mr. Chen, the suspect our team has been investigating has made progress.”
“Have you confirmed his identity?”
Wang Xu pulled out several documents and slid them across to Lu Yunze.
“The suspect’s name is Hu Ming, 37 years old, unemployed, living in Ankang Town outside Lan City.”
Looking at the photo in the files, Lu Yunze narrowed his eyes.
“Well? Is it him?”
“Probably.”
Lu Yunze still couldn’t recall the exact details of that day.
Every time he tried to remember, it felt like he could smell a strange fragrance but couldn’t recall a single concrete detail.
“In any case, this person is definitely suspicious,” Wang Xu continued. “Mr. Lu, we plan to organize an operation targeting this Hu Ming.”
“But what does that have to do with me?”
Before Lu Yunze could finish, he already understood the reason Wang Xu had called him over.
“You want me to be bait.”
“Just as expected, Mr. Lu.” Wang Xu flattered him hard. “Only with you appearing in Ankang Town can we get Hu Ming’s attention. If we sent the police, it would be too obvious and scare him off. But don’t worry, we will protect your safety throughout and provide support.”
After all, the Police Station trusted Lu Yunze’s abilities.
Even facing unexpected situations, he could at least protect himself.
But being bait?
Lu Yunze had never done anything like that before and fell into a moment of silence.
He picked up the files and scrutinized Hu Ming’s personal information again.
If he didn’t go himself, neither the Police Station nor the Execution Division could be fully trusted.
If Hu Ming managed to escape again…
That would cause a huge mess.
Especially for the people around him like Jiang Sui.
Lu Yunze put down the files and exchanged a look with Wang Xu.
No words were needed; they both understood each other perfectly.