The Byoukidere Is Her Sweetie

Chapter 95: 095: Xu Fang plays the hero to save the beauty
 

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of knocking thrice, yet no response came from within.

Luo Qinghe stood at the doorway, “It’s me.”

After she spoke, someone inside finally responded, though notably impatient, “What is it?”

The door opened, and Luo Changde stood disheveled, his neck and chest covered with scratches from a woman’s nails.

Luo Qinghe’s expression instantly turned cold. She entered with her secretary and slammed the door forcefully, “You still ask me what it is, Luo Changde? Look at the mess you’ve made.”

Luo Changde, just over fifty, had swollen eyes that made him look older. Due to his physical disability, he had become even more unrestrained in his antics over the years.

He sneered, “It’s just a woman.”

Just a woman?

Hmph, just a woman who had left him childless and without descendants.

Luo Qinghe scanned the room; a pen lay on the floor, its tip bloody. The woman on the bed lay motionless, her legs spread, still bleeding from down below.

More than twenty years ago, Luo Changde had been rendered impotent, and ever since, he had taken pleasure in doing this to others.

“You really can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

Contempt and disdain filled her eyes, unhidden.

Luo Changde could not stand her domineering attitude. His murky eyes narrowed, “Who taught you to be so disrespectful to your elders?”

Despite having led a frivolous life in recent years, the once head of the Luo Family, Luo Changde, still retained a ruthless streak.

Luo Qinghe chuckled coldly, “My mom’s dead. Who do you think taught me?”

“You—”

She was utterly repulsed, not wanting to hear another word, “I don’t care what you do outside, but within my sight and the influence of the Luo Family, you’d better restrain yourself. The Luo Family is under my command now.”

Luo Changde laughed scornfully, not showing whether he took her words to heart. He took a piece of paper from the bedside, wrapped the pen with it to wipe it clean, and tossed it into the trash can. His back was slightly hunched, his hair peppered with gray, and his lean figure bent forward as he tucked his shirt into his belt, “Clean this place up… and take care of this woman.”

The swearing-in of the newcomers concluded, and fireworks lit up the sky from the top deck of the cruise ship.

In the sky, myriad trees blossomed brightly, illuminating the night like daylight.

Zhou Xufang, wearing a waiter’s uniform, her large face mask covering half her face, adjusted the special glasses on the bridge of her nose.

“Is there surveillance here?”

Shuangjiang replied, “The wedding guests are either public figures or business magnates, requiring high confidentiality. There’s no surveillance in the guest rooms on the first and second floors.”

Zhou Xufang asked directly, “Where is Jiang Zhi?”

“He’s not in the surveillance area.”

Which meant, he was on either the first or second floor.

Zhou Xufang was on the second floor and began searching room by room. Just as she reached the end of the hallway, a blood-soaked woman suddenly tumbled out from around the corner.

Her gown was tattered. She curled up on the ground barely clothed, her blood flowing down her legs and onto the floor.

“Save, save,” she extended her hand towards Zhou Xufang, her nails caked with blood, “Save… me…”

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The fireworks exploded in the sky, dazzlingly bright in the starless winter night, disrupting the noisy revelry of the guests aboard with their booming echoes.

Jiang Zhi felt irritable as he walked toward the stern of the ship.

Over the phone, Qiao Nanchu’s voice sounded somewhat weary, “I’ve visited the arsonist.”

“Will he change his statement?”

“He’s still sticking to his story, no matter how much pressure is applied.”

Jiang Zhi stood at the stern, sea spray flying high, the cool mist dampening his legs. The wind tousled his dusky blue hair, and he casually raked a hand through it, “If we can’t pry his mouth open, we’ll start with the people around him.”

Qiao Nanchu speculated, “Maybe he is the murderer?”

The sea breeze was strong, the waves gently rocked the ship, and footstep sounds were drowned out by the ongoing fireworks.

Leaning against the railing, Jiang Zhi surveyed the sea of fireworks and the endless ocean, “Two people died in the Luo Mansion fire back then, and no death sentence was handed down. Does that make sense?”

Qiao Nanchu remained silent about the Luo Mansion fire, instead questioning Jiang Zhi, “You really want to get involved in this?”

His reply was nonchalant, “Yeah.”

There was the sound of a lighter from the phone; Qiao Nanchu lit a cigarette, “Are you still concerned about that child from the Luo Family?”

Jiang Zhi’s tone suddenly became serious, “I already have Zhou Xufang. Don’t bring this up again.”

Qiao Nanchu chuckled, “Then why?”

“I can’t stand the Luo Family.”

At that moment,

A hand slowly extended from behind.

The roar of fireworks was deafening by his ears, drowning out all other sounds. Having just thought of his beloved, Jiang Zhi’s mind was restless. He wondered what kind of reaction Zhou Xufang would have if she knew about that Luo Family’s young man. If only he could make her jealous… Lost in thought, he grew absentminded: “That case—”

A forceful push came from behind—

At that moment, with his mind full of Zhou Xufang, Jiang Zhi forgot to be cautious. His body flipped over the railing and plunged straight into the sea.

Clang!

His phone landed on the deck, followed by the sound of water splashing.

“Jiang Zhi.”

“Jiang Zhi!”

Qiao Nanchu shouted loudly from the phone.

That hand was large and strong, with a few scratch marks on the back and wearing a watch. It picked up the phone and forcefully cast it into the depths of the sea.

At this time, Zhou Xufang had just carried a woman to the staff changing room when an emergency alert from Shuangjiang came through his earpiece.

“Xu Fang!”

Zhou Xufang acknowledged with a sound and opened the cupboard, placing the woman inside.

“Jiang Zhi’s phone suddenly got cut off.”

Her movements froze briefly, her eyelashes fluttering. After a moment of being stunned, she quickly snatched a coat and tossed it to the woman: “This place is safe. Wait until the ship stops before calling for help.”

After giving instructions, she vanished in the blink of an eye, with only the door clanging shut behind.

The woman covered her mouth, shutting the cupboard door as she trembled.

The carpet in front of the guest room door was flipped up, like a gust of wind had swept by. Under the light, a complete silhouette was uncatchable, only a fleeting shadow, belonging to the running Zhou Xufang.

“Shuangjiang, help me check possible places Jiang Zhi could be.”

“Okay.”

Ten seconds later.

Shuangjiang spoke, “The first-floor stern or the second-floor observation area.”

Zhou Xufang’s speed and leaping power were thirty-three times that of a normal human, getting from the second floor to the first-floor stern in a mere instant. Without concern of being noticed, she kicked open the stairwell door. The force caused the entire vessel to sway slightly.

The deck was deserted.

Zhou Xufang was already sweating, “He’s not here.”

She had a very bad feeling.

After searching the area and finding no abnormalities, she was about to leave when Shuangjiang sent another alert: “Criminal Intelligence Department has breached the cruise’s top-level surveillance. Qiao Nanchu has sent a distress signal.” Shuangjiang paused, “Xu Fang, something might have happened to Jiang Zhi.”

As long as the person was onboard, Xue Baoyi must be able to rescue them immediately, unless…

Zhou Xufang turned and headed towards the ship’s stern, and before removing her earpiece, she only said one thing, “Keep an eye on the ship for me.”

“Xu Fang—”

The connection was lost. Zhou Xufang tossed aside her earpiece and leaped, diving into the sea.

That year, it was also winter, dreadfully cold, the swimming pool at the Luo Mansion had a thin layer of ice. Suddenly, the ice broke and splashed, and someone was floundering in the pool.

The servants in the greenhouse hurried over at the noise, crowding near the pool to watch the commotion.

“What’s happened here?”

“Look, someone’s fallen in.”

“Isn’t that Luo San?”

“Yes, it is.”

“He offended the second Miss and got punished to clean the pool.”

“Fool’s a fool, doesn’t even know to drain the water first.”

“…”

Whether discussing or silent, no one got into the pool to rescue. This was because the haughty second Miss Luo said, until the pool was cleaned, no one was allowed up.

Then, there was another splash.

Someone had entered the water.

When they were pulled up, they realized it was Young Master Jiang, a visitor to the Luo Family.

For some reason, the distinguished young master, who couldn’t swim, had jumped into the water. With the day being cold and the pool water icy, the frail Young Master Jiang, with his weak constitution, swallowed a lot of water.

The frigid water filled his lungs; because of this, Young Master Jiang fell seriously ill, nearly losing his life. It was after this incident that Young Master Jiang developed a fear of water.

Qiao Nanchu once asked him, “Why jump in if you can’t swim?”

He said, “If I didn’t go into the water, nobody else would have come to rescue.”

Later, whenever Young Master Jiang visited the Luo Family, that silly Luo San would hide behind the house, stealthily watching him. If caught, he would hurriedly give him the little stars he had folded for a long time.

That fool couldn’t speak, but he would smile dimly at Jiang Zhi, secretly burying his ‘treasures’ under the tree in the greenhouse. When Jiang Zhi arrived, he would dig them out; all for Jiang Zhi, candies, beautiful stones, paper-folded little stars, and even tightly wrapped white-steamed buns.

Back then, that silly boy of the Luo Family thought steamed buns were the best thing in the world.

The sea breeze was relentless, causing ear pain, while fireworks continued to explode, casting a mottled reflection on the sea’s surface. In the flickering light, a slender figure emerged from the water.

She emerged, carrying a person on her back from the glittering water.