Chapter 32: You Made International News

“He was peeping at me through the window!” The memory of that terrifying moment left Su Qianqian trembling with indignation.

Li Shuqin looked at her with confusion. “My son-in-law, you two are already married, you’ve got your marriage certificate, and the wedding is done. There’s nothing wrong with sleeping together openly, so why sneak around peeping through the window?”

Damn it!

In order to clear himself of the accusation of being a perverted voyeur, Lu Ye had no choice but to tell the truth.

“Old woman, I saw how strange you were acting today. You must be hiding something from me. I was worried, so I watched you secretly…”

Su Qianqian paused, then asked suspiciously, “Really? You care that much about me?”

Li Shuqin laughed heartily. “Silly girl, he’s your husband. Of course he cares about you. Since it’s all just a misunderstanding, you two should go back to your room and talk it out. Your dad and I are going to do some exercise.”

“Oh.”

Bang!

Li Shuqin shut the door with a heavy hand. Soon, strange noises could be faintly heard from inside.

Ever since he started using the remedy Lu Ye had given him, her father-in-law was full of vigor, dragging Li Shuqin every night to practice all sorts of skills, determined to fight until she surrendered completely.

Su Qianqian and Lu Ye exchanged glances, then simultaneously turned their heads away with a huff.

So, both of them were hopelessly stubborn.

Su Qianqian snapped, “Come to your room and explain your motives and every detail of your so-called ‘operation’—be honest!”

Lu Ye was the first to throw out a question. “The sofa in your office was only bought a few days ago, right? Why did you throw it out for no reason?”

Su Qianqian avoided his gaze. “I got tired of it and wanted a change. It’s not like I can’t afford to buy another.”

Lu Ye suddenly grabbed her shoulders. “Look me in the eyes and answer: someone caused trouble in your office today, didn’t they? And this person is someone you can’t afford to offend?”

Su Qianqian’s expression was a whirlwind of emotions as she tried to argue insincerely, “Stop imagining things, will you? The Zhangs and the Lins are terrified of you now. Lin Zhongze is practically your sworn brother. Who in Mingzhu City would dare mess with me anymore?”

“What if they’re not from Mingzhu City? Say, a so-called young master from a powerful family in the capital?” Lu Ye’s eyes narrowed, sharp with insight.

Su Qianqian grew flustered. “No one!”

“Stop hiding it from me, please? If you tell me, I might be able to help. Whatever the problem is, we’ll face it together.”

Su Qianqian nearly screamed, “Stop pushing me! Can’t you see I’m doing this for your own good?”

“Let go—I’m going back to my room!”

Lu Ye had never seen Su Qianqian so distraught, which only confirmed his suspicions.

Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, Su Qianqian suddenly shook his hands from her shoulders and stormed off, slamming the door behind her.

Yet, a faint smile spread across Lu Ye’s face.

It seems I was right all along!

Su Qianqian had attended university in the capital, and now, with Xu Fugui—a young master of the Xu family from there—making a high-profile entrance into Mingzhu City, Lu Ye instantly sensed some hidden connection.

…

“You’re saying the Zhang family has already betrayed the Hongying Society and sided with that useless Su Qianqian’s husband?”

After the alliance banquet had ended, Xu Fugui kept Su Zijun behind to hear his account of what had happened to the Hongying Society after the intelligence network had been disrupted.

Su Zijun’s face was wrapped in two blood-soaked bandages, making him look like the living dead. At the mention of Lu Ye, he gnashed his teeth in hatred.

“Yes. The former chairman, Chen, tried to recruit Lin Zhongze but failed, so he planned to get rid of him instead. But the poisoning attempt backfired, and brought a wave of revenge down on us. Lu Ye and Lin Zhongze are sworn brothers, and he has several capable people helping him. They wiped out all our bases, one by one!”

Xu Fugui asked, “Then how did you escape unharmed?”

Su Zijun replied, “I hid in a public restroom on the outskirts of the city for days, enduring humiliation just to survive.”

“I see.” Xu Fugui found it puzzling—Lin Zhongze was little more than a local mob boss, so how could he wield so much influence? The problem must lie with Lu Ye!

“In your opinion, could Lu Ye be someone sent by the authorities?”

Su Zijun answered with certainty, “Impossible! Lu Ye’s methods are ruthless and devious—he’s even more merciless than we are!”

“He has two followers. One is Meng Meiren, ranked third on the assassin’s list. The other is a woman. When she fought Bai Jin, I heard her say with my own ears that she was the mentor of Tang Qianyan, the number one assassin. The injuries on my face are her handiwork!”

Both Meng Meiren and Tang Qianyan were notorious figures involved in multiple murder cases—what kind of person could be Tang Qianyan’s mentor? Certainly not someone to be taken lightly.

How could such people ever work for the authorities?

Thanks to Su Zijun’s misleading words, Xu Fugui found Lu Ye’s identity all the more mysterious.

Not that this made Xu Fugui respect him any more, but he had to admit: with the Su family’s status alone, there was no way they could attract two top assassins to serve as subordinates to a mere live-in son-in-law. No matter how you looked at it, it made no sense…

If he wanted to get to the bottom of Lu Ye’s background, he might as well meet him in person—and give him a taste of his power.

“Su Zijun, since the Zhang family has switched sides, your presence will make Zhang Yunjie suspicious of me.”

“My identity must remain secret. Do you understand?”

Xu Fugui’s tone suddenly turned frosty, and Su Zijun realized with horror that he had made a tremendous blunder!

Su Zijun’s connection to the Hongying Society was known to Zhang Yunjie; now that he had aligned himself with Xu Fugui, he had inadvertently exposed Xu Fugui’s identity as well.

“Chairman, please have mercy! I’ll disappear from Mingzhu City and never come back. I swear I’ll keep my mouth shut. Please don’t kill me!”

Xu Fugui gave a chillingly sly smile. “Why would I? I still have use for you.”

Su Zijun breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Thank you, Chairman, for your understanding!”

Xu Fugui picked up a steak knife from the table and handed it to Su Zijun. “Hold it tightly.”

Su Zijun stared at the knife in confusion. “What for?”

Xu Fugui smiled. “Stab me with it. It’s a trick to win trust. Once you’re done, you can leave.”

Su Zijun instantly understood Xu Fugui’s intention and grinned. “Don’t worry, Chairman. I won’t hit any vital spots.”

“Good. Go ahead.”

With a sickening sound, the steak knife plunged firmly into Xu Fugui’s arm.

At the same time, Su Zijun suddenly felt a cold sensation in his chest. Then, all feeling left him, and he slowly collapsed in a pool of blood.

“Take me to the hospital first, then spread the word…”

“The third young master of the Xu family was attacked by an assassin during a banquet, barely escaping with his life. Fortunately, his bodyguard acted in self-defense and killed the assailant, saving him in the nick of time.”

The two attendants nodded without a trace of emotion. “Yes, sir.”

The next morning.

Lu Ye came downstairs for breakfast. As usual, Su Qianqian was up earlier than he was.

Her expression was calm, as if nothing had happened the night before.

Lu Ye greeted her with a smile. “Good morning, old woman.”

“Morning, you little rascal.”

Hmm, looks like things are fine now.

Feeling reassured, Lu Ye bit into a fried dough stick, grabbed the remote control from the table, and turned on the TV to catch the morning news…

“According to our latest report, there was a major explosion at a port in Japan…”

On the screen, a shadowy figure flashed by under a security camera.

Although her face was covered, her graceful figure made it obvious she was a woman.

Lu Ye stared at the screen for a long time in shock, then rushed upstairs to make a call.

“Sis, did you know you made the international news?”

On the other end, Chen Xi was panting heavily before replying, “Little brother, you have no idea how tough this is! Three major intelligence organizations—Rizhao, Yaqi, and the Shogunate—all mobilized just to catch me.”

Lu Ye was dumbfounded. “Damn, that’s intense. Did you find the hard drive?”

Chen Xi laughed. “Mission accomplished! I got it. Once I shake the pursuers, I’ll find a place with internet access. Tell Yiyi to make a remote backup of everything on the drive, and I’ll destroy it on my end.”

“Got it.”

“I probably won’t be able to come back anytime soon. I’ll have to lie low until things calm down.”

“Okay, sis, take care of yourself.”