Spring Wind Blows Again ran for a full two weeks at Meiqi Theater, packed house after packed house, an overwhelming triumph.

Overnight, Xiufeng became the hottest name in town, with countless calls flooding in every day—half wanting to book Wen Tingli for advertisements, the other half inviting Huang Yuanshan and Wen Tingli to speak at social and cultural organizations, and on top of that, a great wave of actors calling to volunteer themselves for Xiufeng’s upcoming films.

Riding this wave of momentum, Huang Yuanshan grandly announced that Xiufeng’s next film, Twin Pearls, would wrap within the month, and also revealed that the company was actively writing a new script for Yu Peiling, determined to build her a fresh role entirely different from her previous “vase beauty” image.

Amid all this busyness, Wen Tingli made time to take Xiao Taozi to a dinner party at Principal Zou’s home.

Many of her old classmates from the same graduating class at Wushi Girls’ School had come that day, and Principal Zou’s small living room was packed, filled everywhere with the sound of girls laughing happily.

It wasn’t any particularly special occasion—simply that Principal Zou, after watching Wen Tingli’s new film three times over, still hadn’t had her fill, and, relying on her status as principal, had called Wen Tingli over to discuss her thoughts on the film, while throwing together a small celebration for her at the same time.

Having heard the story Lu Shicheng had told her, Wen Tingli’s feelings on seeing Principal Zou again today were different from usual. She wrapped her arms around the principal’s thin shoulders and couldn’t bring herself to let go for the longest time.

Recalling how hard a road her student had walked to get here, Principal Zou felt a pang of heartache and said to her, “You must be exhausted from all this lately. There are no outsiders here—cry if you want to cry, laugh if you want to laugh, the principal will take care of everything.”

Zhao Qingluo said, moved, “Principal, you’re still watching over us like a mother hen.”

“Zhao Qingluo, I hear you’re planning to switch to law next year? Giving up drama?”

“Ugh, don’t even mention it.” “The other day I went to help out at Wen Tingli’s company’s newly established foundation. Wen Tingli had invited Sister Yaqiao to help oversee the legal work for the ‘Women Workers’ Charitable Fund, and that day, watching Sister Yaqiao take charge on-site—she really did know everything—I, a drama student, couldn’t help with anything at all. I thought to myself, it’s time to say goodbye to my old dream.”

“But dramatic work is just as noble in its own way. A good piece of theater can have a real, positive influence on society.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

But Zhao Qingluo clearly wasn’t joking around. “This isn’t some impulsive decision—I’ve been mulling it over in my head for a long while now. That day, seeing what those women workers go through, my heart just clenched up. Women like them will never in their lives have the chance to go watch a play in a theater. But law—law can genuinely, concretely help them in their daily lives… You can all think I’m being reckless if you want, but I’ve cried so many nights over this already. Every time I think about their circumstances, I feel ashamed. What do they lack compared to me? If they’d been born into my family, they might well have turned out far more accomplished than I have. I’ve achieved so little, and yet I’ve had all this good fortune—how can I not do something concrete for those less fortunate?”

Someone stepped forward and took her hand. “Qingluo, you really are the kindest girl I’ve ever known.”

“Kindness alone means nothing. Taking action is what matters.”

Principal Zou nodded with feeling, sighing. “Good, good—every one of my students carries such great ambitions.”

Xiao Taozi leaned against her sister’s leg, tilting her head up to listen to the older girls talk.

Finally someone noticed her. “This little one must be Xiao Taozi, right? I hear your kindergarten’s performing at Maofeng Park this Saturday—do you have anything to perform, Xiao Taozi?”

Xiao Taozi, who had recently taken to disliking being called Xiao Taozi, corrected the woman quite seriously. “I’m in the intermediate class now. My proper name is Kuang Weihang—Wei as in ‘great,’ Hang as in ‘to sail.’ My sister gave it to me.”

Everyone burst out laughing, but quickly corrected themselves. “Classmate Kuang Weihang, what are your ambitions for the future?”

Xiao Taozi looked to her sister. Wen Tingli encouraged her with her eyes, and Xiao Taozi worked up her courage and declared loudly, “I want to be the greatest surgeon there is!”

Principal Zou laughed heartily and gathered Xiao Taozi into her arms. “My, my, quite the impressive little one.”

After the meal, everyone gathered around the table, chatting and laughing, when suddenly the doorbell rang. It turned out to be someone delivering a camera—Principal Zou had wanted to take photos with her students, but her old camera at home had broken, so she’d had to borrow a good one from someone else.

To everyone’s surprise, the person delivering the camera turned out to be Lu Shicheng.

Everyone blushed and exchanged glances before standing to greet him.

“Young Master Lu.”

Wushi Girls’ School had been founded with funding from the Lu family. Whenever a student received a scholarship, it was presented either by the white-haired old Master Lu, or by this Young Master Lu. The time Wen Tingli had won the “Talent Award,” it had been Lu Shicheng himself who’d presented it to her.

The students all held Lu Shicheng in high regard—not only was he handsome, with the boldness and capability of a true industrialist, but rare among his kind, his conduct was low-key and upright. It was simply a pity he was usually far too busy to show his face at the school much.

Seeing a room full of people, Lu Shicheng himself seemed a little surprised, and gave a polite nod before setting the camera down on the coffee table and turning to leave. He didn’t look toward Wen Tingli in the crowd, and Wen Tingli didn’t look at him either.

Xiao Taozi couldn’t understand why her sister and Mr. Lu had to pretend not to know each other.

The two of them clearly murmured together and ate dinner in her living room every single night! Sometimes they even sat head to head. And sometimes, her sister kissed Mr. Lu on the cheek just like she kissed Xiao Taozi!

Thinking this, Xiao Taozi loudly waved at Lu Shicheng and called out: “Mister L—”

Wen Tingli, startled, quickly clapped a hand over her little sister’s mouth.

Fortunately, no one else’s attention was on them, because Principal Zou was busy dragging Lu Shicheng back. “You’re not going anywhere—I don’t know how to work this thing, you’ll have to take our photos for us later.”

The students all laughed together, and Lu Shicheng had no choice but to smile and go set up the camera.

Wen Tingli sat in the front row holding Xiao Taozi, and just before Lu Shicheng pressed the shutter, she suddenly made a funny face at him.

Lu Shicheng, eyes lowered to the viewfinder, smiled inwardly but kept his expression composed.

“What is it?”

“There was a little mosquito causing trouble just now,” Lu Shicheng said, perfectly straight-faced.

Everyone believed him. “Where? Quick, shoo it away.”

For the second shot, Wen Tingli didn’t dare misbehave again, dutifully looking at the camera. Lu Shicheng took over a dozen photos in one go.

Afterward, Principal Zou insisted on teaching Wang Ma how to press the shutter, and forcibly pulled Lu Shicheng into the group photo as well. Lu Shicheng’s first instinct was to refuse. “Wang Ma’s only just learned how to press the button—aren’t you worried the photo will come out poorly?”

“What does that matter.” Principal Zou turned to the students beside her. “Do any of you mind?”

“We don’t mind! Young Master Lu, please stand here.”

Lu Shicheng walked to the back row but refused to stand in the middle, retreating instead to the far right corner—being the tallest, even tucked into the corner, he still stood out clearly.

Two days later, Wen Tingli received the photographs.

She looked over the photo again and again with delight—she’d never imagined that her and Lu Shicheng’s very first photo together would be this kind of group shot. She was in the front row, he in the fourth, with several classmates in between them.

She couldn’t help kissing the photo of him. Unfortunately, Lu Shicheng had a board meeting to attend that evening and couldn’t have dinner with her. When she called him and mentioned the photo, she said, “Some other time, let’s take a proper set of photos together—just the two of us.”

“How about the Great World amusement park? We could play and take pictures at the same time.”

Wen Tingli’s eyes lit up, and she quickly agreed. “Xiao Taozi’s been asking to go play there just the other day too. Though these next few days won’t work—her kindergarten’s rehearsing at Maofeng Park every day. And besides, Great World’s always so crowded, I’d worry about getting swarmed by fans…” She thought for a moment. “Never mind, I’ll figure something out.”

“No, this time I’ll figure it out.” He mimicked her tone teasingly, and Wen Tingli laughed and hung up the phone. She’d finished work early that day, and had dinner out with Yu Peiling and Huang Yuanshan before taking a car home by herself.

She arrived home a little after seven. Normally, Xiao Taozi would already be home from school by this time, but tonight the house was unusually quiet the moment she walked in.

Could it be rehearsal hadn’t ended yet? Ever since the disturbance in Beiping had come to light, Lu Shicheng had assigned four or five guards to accompany Xiao Taozi and Zhou Sao every day, so there was no need to worry about anything going wrong.

She went upstairs, washed her hands, changed clothes, took off her jewelry, then came back down to call Mrs. Pan to arrange a dinner. By the time she’d made several calls and looked up at the clock, it was already eight o’clock, and there was still no sign of Zhou Sao and Xiao Taozi coming home.

A sudden foreboding swept through Wen Tingli, and she hurried to call the kindergarten just as the phone rang with a piercing shrillness.

The moment she picked up, wailing sobs poured through the receiver: “Miss Wen, something’s happened!”

It was the headmistress calling personally, clearly badly shaken.

“We were rehearsing at Maofeng Park when a huge explosion sounded from outside. Someone said there was a bo—bomb hidden in the park, everyone panicked and scattered. We finally managed to round up all the children, but then we realized little Kuang Weihang was missing—and that Zhou Sao of yours too. We’re worried something’s happened to them… we’ve already called the police!”

Wen Tingli felt ice spread through her whole body. She grabbed her handbag and was about to rush out when the phone rang again.

“Hello.” A man’s low chuckle came through instead.

Blood rushed straight to the top of Wen Tingli’s skull.

“Quite the celebrity these days, aren’t you, Wen Tingli,” the man said.

“Qiu Dapeng?! You’re actually alive!”

“That’s right, heaven has eyes, I didn’t die after all—but I’ve had my fill of living like this, worse than death!” Qiu Dapeng laughed sinisterly. “To think, you and Lu Shicheng put eight bullets into me between you, and heaven still let me live. What does that tell you? It tells you the two of you were the ones who should have died! Now it’s time to settle accounts with you.”

Just then, she heard Xiao Taozi’s crying wail on the other end of the line, and Zhou Sao’s voice, thick with fear: “Baby, don’t cry—who exactly are you people, why did you bring us here?!”

Wen Tingli’s teeth ground together audibly.

“Heard that clearly enough, did you?” “We had a tough time shaking off the Lu family’s guards, but now your sister is somewhere very safe. Don’t try anything clever, and don’t even think about alerting the two guards Lu Shicheng planted around you. Come alone, and trade yourself for your sister—a fair enough deal, wouldn’t you say?”

Wen Tingli’s eyes fixed on the window, her mind racing.

Qiu Dapeng, seeming to guess exactly what she was thinking, sneered coldly. “I know you’re full of tricks. If you dare send word to Lu Shicheng, I’ll cut your sister’s arm off right away—don’t test me. And don’t take too long. It’s five past eight now. I’ll give you one hour. Late, and it’s also an arm.”

Cold sweat had already soaked through the back of Wen Tingli’s blouse. She slowly moved her eyes to her handbag, then glanced at the small bag hidden at her waist, then at the car outside. Swallowing hard, she said as calmly as she could manage, “Fine. Give me the address, I’ll leave right now.”

After the board meeting ended, Lu Shicheng’s first move was to call Boss Liao at the Great World amusement park. Once that was arranged, his thoughts turned to Wen Tingli, and he was just about to call her when Manager Wang came in and said, “Young Master Cheng, the board members are still waiting outside for dinner.”

Lu Shicheng glanced at his watch—Wen Tingli would likely have already left the office by now, and calling might not reach her anyway. Why not just go see her directly at home tonight instead.

But halfway through dinner, an intensely unpleasant sensation suddenly swept through Lu Shicheng, like being pricked by a sharp needle, painful enough to make him frown.

“Young Master Cheng, are you feeling unwell?”

Unable to explain this feeling of dread himself, Lu Shicheng stood, nodding apologetically to everyone. “Excuse me, I need some fresh air. Please, continue without me.”

The moment he stepped out, he called the Wen residence immediately, but the phone rang more than a dozen times with no answer.

Wen Tingli was probably still out and busy, but could Xiao Taozi and Zhou Sao really not be home at this hour either?

This thought only deepened the unease in his chest, and he simply had a waiter go tell Kuang Zhilin he was stepping out, then headed straight downstairs, only to run right into Zhou Wei and the others, faces pale, rushing up the stairs. “Young Master Cheng!”

Lu Shicheng’s heart jumped violently—why was Zhou Wei here? He’d given explicit instructions that no matter what happened, Zhou Wei should never leave Wen Tingli’s side. He grabbed Zhou Wei by the collar and demanded sharply, “What are you doing here! Where is she!”

After hearing the full account, Lu Shicheng sped the entire way to the Wen residence, and sure enough, once inside, found not a single soul.

His face turned the color of ash at once, large drops of cold sweat beginning to roll down his forehead. It wasn’t hard to guess—they’d used Xiao Taozi’s life to threaten her, forcing her to go meet the kidnappers alone.

“Gather everyone we have, right now.” Lu Shicheng gritted his teeth. “She went to meet the kidnappers, and she’d have needed a car to get there. Zhou Wei, call the telephone company right away and check whether Wen Tingli called any nearby car rental company before she left. If she did, find that driver immediately. Old Li, go back and find Kuang Zhilin, have him wait at the Lu residence for my orders. Remember, absolutely no word must leak out, because—”

Here, a wave of intense dread swept over Lu Shicheng, and his voice dropped low. “If we alert the kidnappers, they might kill the hostage at any moment.”

Old Li and Zhou Wei swallowed hard nervously. “Yes, sir!”

Lu Shicheng immediately began searching through the living room. Wen Tingli had most likely received the kidnappers’ call the moment she got home—with her sharp mind, she would surely have found some way to leave behind a hint.

Sure enough, he quickly found a note beside the telephone, with a string of numbers written on it.

[09820-893]

Beside it was written a line:

[Qiu Dapeng sent a rickshaw to wait for me at the back door. I just checked with the telephone company—this is the number they called in from.]

It was her handwriting. Lu Shicheng gripped the note tightly. “09820… sounds like it might be a number from around Caojiadu. Zhou Wei, with me!”

Someone entered. “Third Master, it’s done.”

Lu Kejian let out a long breath of relief, then gave a cold laugh. “After sending out so many men, if this had still failed, I’d truly have to wonder if you’re all a bunch of blockheads!”

The one speaking was none other than Qiu Dapeng, his complexion sallow, his eyelids swollen, coughing and patting his own chest repeatedly, looking quite frail.

Lu Kejian still had his doubts. “Will this actually work? I’m willing to believe this child is Wen Tingli’s weak spot, but how are you so sure Wen Tingli is Lu Shicheng’s weak spot? What if he doesn’t come? Wouldn’t all our efforts be wasted?”

“He’ll come, most likely.” Qiu Dapeng said through gritted teeth. “These past few months, I haven’t missed a single piece of news connected to those two. I’d bet anything Lu Shicheng’s feelings for Wen Tingli are genuine.”

Lu Kejian ran through Wen Tingli’s appearance in his mind and said nothing.

In truth, what worried him more was the possibility of Lu Shicheng ending up with Miss Ge. The Ge family’s strength rivaled the Lu family’s—if the two families successfully married into one another, Lu Shicheng would gain yet another trump card in hand, making things even worse for him. And yet Lu Shicheng, so stubborn, refused to get close to Miss Ge, insisting instead on this endless entanglement with a mere film actress like Wen Tingli—

Looking at it this way, Qiu Dapeng’s reasoning did seem to hold some water. He thought this to himself, but on the surface put on a look of confusion. “But I have no grudge against this Wen Tingli. Even if I want to seize power, why resort to such a low-down method?”

Qiu Dapeng silently cursed the man’s slyness, but on his face only broadened his smile. “The girl’s already been brought in—killing is my job. As for Lu Shicheng, the two of you are uncle and nephew, no one understands better than you how to deal with him. As long as he cares deeply enough about Wen Tingli, our trap will have succeeded—whether you take his life outright then, or force him to hand over the Lu family’s power, that’s entirely up to you to decide. But, to eliminate any future troubles—”

Qiu Dapeng’s eyes turned venomous enough to shoot poison darts. “Best to kill him outright. Without Lu Shicheng, you’ll be the undisputed heir of the Lu family—even if the old master grows suspicious afterward, he’ll have no choice but to hand the family business to you.”

“Sounds like you hate Lu Shicheng even more than I do,” Lu Kejian said, giving Qiu Dapeng a half-smiling look.

Qiu Dapeng gave a bitter laugh. “My son and I ended up in this pathetic state, neither man nor ghost, entirely thanks to Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng. ‘A gentleman who doesn’t seek revenge is no gentleman’—who told Lu Shicheng to wound me first?”

Gentleman? Clearly nothing but a venomous snake. Lu Kejian sneered inwardly, but feigning sympathy, patted Qiu Dapeng on the shoulder. “Fine, we’ll do it your way. But I remember you saying yourself this Wen woman is no pushover—she can handle a gun, even knows some self-defense. Be careful when you make your move.”

Qiu Dapeng thought to himself: you, Third Master Lu, want to use the White Dragon Gang to do your dirty work while keeping your own hands clean—did you really think such a convenient arrangement existed in this world? The moment you joined this scheme, the blood debt for the killing would naturally fall entirely on your shoulders alone.

By then, he could both avenge himself and his son, and walk away scot-free—there couldn’t possibly be a more perfectly thought-out plan than this. He hadn’t spent all this time skulking around in Beiping like a “gutter rat” for nothing!

Meanwhile, Wen Tingli had already been brought by that rickshaw to an empty house. Once she got out, the puller tied a blindfold over her eyes and pushed her forward. Stumbling along, she had no idea how long she’d walked before hearing the puller say, “Stand here, don’t move!”

Wen Tingli stood in place for a full ten minutes before hearing the puller say, “Alright, keep walking.”

Not much farther, she was suddenly shoved hard from behind. “We’re here, get in.”

Wen Tingli nearly fell over from the shove, barely managing to steady herself, sensing that this place was unusually silent—but instinct told her people were watching her from all around.

Something must have caught the puller’s eye, because his voice suddenly turned deferential. “I already checked at the intersection just now—waited a full ten minutes, no tail following behind.”

Someone laughed coldly. “Wen Tingli, good of you to be smart this time, no funny business.”

Someone stepped over and pulled the blindfold off her eyes. She blinked rapidly a few times, and once her vision returned, saw several people standing across from her, with Qiu Lingyun at the center.

He supported himself with a cane under his right arm, staring at her fixedly, then limped his way toward her.

“Long time no see, Wen Tingli.” His tone was as gloomy as his expression.

“Where are Zhou Sao and Xiao Taozi?!” Wen Tingli asked coldly. “I’ve come, now let them go.”

As she spoke, she casually reached toward her handbag.

Qiu Lingyun caught her hand, laughing. “What, thinking of ambushing me like last time?”

As he spoke, he snatched her handbag away and tossed it to someone nearby. “There’s a Mauser pistol in here—she used this exact gun to shoot both me and my father last time. Guess she thought she’d try the same trick again.”

Wen Tingli’s face showed a flicker of unease as several men began turning her handbag inside out.

“Young Master, there’s also a dagger in here, the color’s off, looks like it’s been poisoned!”

“Tsk tsk, over a year and she’s picked up quite the arsenal—even knows how to use poison now. Keep searching. She might have other weapons hidden on her too—strip her clothes off and search properly!”

Wen Tingli took a quick step back, pressing her tongue against her front teeth. “I’ve got a poison pill tucked under my tongue. Bite it, and it’s death in an instant—anyone who touches me, I’ll bite it right now and end myself.”

“Funny. You think I’m afraid of you dying?”

But Qiu Lingyun steadied himself on his cane at once all the same.

“If I’m not mistaken, besides settling scores with me, you also want to use me to threaten Lu Shicheng, right? If I die, what leverage will your father have left over Lu Shicheng? He’s determined to get his revenge on Lu Shicheng, after all.”

Qiu Lingyun’s eyelid twitched.

She’d guessed everything correctly.

He flushed with anger and humiliation. “If you won’t cooperate, don’t expect to see your sister!”

“You want my cooperation—first agree to two conditions. First, bring Zhou Sao and Xiao Taozi here—I need to confirm with my own eyes that they’re unharmed, or there’s nothing to discuss. Second, you can search me, but only I get to do it myself. If not, I’ll bite the pill right now—either way I’m dead, so why not end things on my own terms.”

Seeing her press her tongue against the roof of her mouth again, Qiu Lingyun’s expression darkened, and he turned to someone beside him. “Go ask my father if we can bring that crying old woman and the little one over.”

The man left, and before long, faint crying could be heard from outside—two people were bringing Zhou Sao and Xiao Taozi over, held under guard.

Seeing her sister, Xiao Taozi’s cries grew even more piercing, reaching her small hands out. “Sister!”

Wen Tingli’s heart clenched into a knot, but before she could step forward, someone blocked her path from the side. Zhou Sao called out to Wen Tingli, frightened: “Da’nao, who exactly are these people.”

Thankfully, both of them appeared unharmed—Xiao Taozi even clutched a bag of candy in her hand.

“Don’t be scared, Xiao Taozi.” Wen Tingli forced herself to appear calm and winked at her little sister. “Don’t you always want to visit your sister’s film set? Look, we’re at sister’s studio right now, filming a bandit movie. You’re playing a little bandit—if you keep crying, the movie won’t turn out well.”

Xiao Taozi’s crying stopped abruptly. Wen Tingli threw Zhou Sao a reassuring look as well.

Qiu Lingyun scoffed. “Take them away!”

It seemed they had no intention of letting Xiao Taozi and Zhou Sao go before Lu Shicheng arrived. Wen Tingli suddenly spoke up. “They stay with me. I need to be able to hear their voices at all times.”

“Wen Tingli! Don’t push your luck!”

Wen Tingli pushed the small pill out from under her tongue, staring coldly at Qiu Lingyun. Qiu Lingyun recognized it as a type of cyanide-based poison known as “Return-to-the-West Pill”—only ever sold on the black market. The White Dragon Gang had used this poison plenty of times in the past. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and nod. “Take them to the room next door.”

Wen Tingli waited a while longer, confirming they’d truly moved Xiao Taozi and Zhou Sao next door, before taking off her own coat.

Qiu Lingyun blinked, startled.

“No need to trouble yourselves—I’ll search my own body.”

As she spoke, she flung the coat forward, landing right at Qiu Lingyun’s feet. Next she took off her beret and tossed that over too, then let down her hair, spreading it out for him to see.

Finally, she kicked off her shoes and sent them sliding toward him too.

With this, Wen Tingli was left wearing only a thin satin qipao. Her waist, chest, back, calves, ankles—all fully visible, though the dress fit somewhat loosely, not clinging to her body at all.

Dressed so sparsely, hiding a Mauser pistol underneath was now utterly impossible.

Qiu Lingyun relaxed a little, swallowing, his eyes sweeping over Wen Tingli’s body. “You weren’t this thin before, were you? Not eating well, or not sleeping well? Any thinner and you won’t look good anymore.”

Someone nearby coughed, and Qiu Lingyun snapped back to himself, arranging his expression into something more serious, frowning and kicking at the pile of her clothes at his feet. “Search it thoroughly.”

Just as the search finished, Qiu Dapeng suddenly arrived with a group of men, and the moment he entered saw Wen Tingli’s clothes on the ground. “Finished searching her?”

“Yes.”

“How many times?”

“Father, she’s only got that qipao left on her body—see for yourself.”

Qiu Dapeng studied her intently. “Alright, get her out of here now.”

“Change locations?”

“Better safe than sorry—we can’t just sit here in Caojiadu.” Qiu Dapeng said coldly. “I know her too well. Her mind’s always turning, always cooking up some clever scheme—I’d bet she left word for Lu Shicheng before she came. Lu Shicheng has plenty of manpower at his disposal; if he traces us to this empty house in Caojiadu, it won’t take long. I’m not worried about him barging in with a full assault—what worries me is him quietly setting up a net around the area without making a move. Even if we hold the upper hand for now, we might not escape it. Let’s go—everything’s already arranged at the other location.”

Wen Tingli was shoved into another car. Qiu Dapeng, unlike Qiu Lingyun, gave her no room whatsoever to bargain—a wad of cloth was stuffed into her mouth to keep her from calling for help along the way. Fortunately, Zhou Sao and Xiao Taozi were loaded into the same car, and she could hear their movements.

All three of them had their eyes tightly bound in black cloth. Along the way, cold sweat poured off Wen Tingli despite herself, but she kept patting Xiao Taozi’s small hand beside her the whole time.

Ever since her sister had told her they were filming a movie, Xiao Taozi’s fear seemed to have halved—she wasn’t crying much anymore, and before long fell asleep leaning against Zhou Sao’s knee.

Though Wen Tingli had lost her sight, her hearing remained sharp, and she kept her ears trained on every sound outside the whole way.

After a long stretch of driving, she heard Qiu Dapeng say, “We’re here, get out.”

Wen Tingli felt herself pushed toward a table, then pressed down into a chair.

Qiu Dapeng dialed a number beside her.

The moment the call connected, Qiu Dapeng’s tone turned cheerful. “Mr. Lu, long time no see.”

Lu Shicheng had been waiting for this call the whole time.

He’d already turned Caojiadu completely inside out with no trace of her whatsoever. The longer she stayed missing, the more suffering Wen Tingli would endure—the thought tortured him, leaving him unable to sit still. Every time the phone rang, his heart clenched into a knot.

And yet, the moment he actually received Qiu Dapeng’s call, his heart settled instead, a deathly stillness quietly enveloping him. Killing intent seeped slowly out from every pore of his body, though he forced himself to remain composed, patiently letting the man finish speaking.

Once Qiu Dapeng stopped talking, Lu Shicheng spoke with perfect calm. “Fine. I’ll agree to whatever you want, but first I need to hear her voice.”

On the other end, someone suddenly pushed a receiver into Wen Tingli’s hands. She hurriedly raised it to her ear, and sure enough, it was Lu Shicheng.

Her voice trembled as she spoke. “It’s me… just now I heard someone selling knife-fish noodles on the street, and it made me think of that time you celebrated my birthday, when you gave me such a wonderful gift, and I insisted on picking a fight with you instead—”

Before she could finish, the phone was suddenly wrenched away, and the receiver went dead with a droning “beep, beep, beep…”

For a moment, Lu Shicheng’s expression went completely blank. Then he snapped back to himself, grabbed his coat, and headed for the door.

Kuang Zhilin, sensing something was wrong, hurried after him. “Young Master Cheng, where’s Miss Wen?”

“Go find out where in Shanghai sells knife-fish noodles at night.”

“Knife-fish noodles? That’s everywhere!”

“They need somewhere to hide and complete an exchange—they’d never choose a busy area. Most likely somewhere out in the suburbs, or some quiet, out-of-the-way street. Find it, now.”

“Wait—knife-fish noodles, did you say? I remember now. Wanglin’s mother lives out in the Sanlintang area, he’s always talking about how good the knife-fish noodles are out there.”

“Go find it now!”

Kuang Zhilin hurried after Lu Shicheng anxiously.

Lu Shicheng suddenly turned back. “Don’t follow me!”

“Young Master Cheng!” Kuang Zhilin’s voice cracked with urgency. “You’re really going to go alone to face them? This is a death sentence! Whatever happens to Miss Wen, your own life matters more!”

Lu Shicheng gave no response, simply staring straight at Kuang Zhilin, stepping backward, then reaching back to turn the door handle behind him and lock Kuang Zhilin inside the room.

Before Wen Tingli could finish speaking, Qiu Dapeng snatched the receiver from her and slapped her across the face. “Try any funny business, and there’s no way out for you!”

Wen Tingli clenched her fists, gritting her teeth, as Qiu Dapeng cursed and yanked her up from the chair, shoving her forward.

A few minutes later, someone removed the cloth from her eyes. Qiu Dapeng was no longer in the room—Zhou Sao and Xiao Taozi lay on a wooden bed beneath the window.

Two men stood guard in the room, each with a gun tucked at their waist. Outside the window was a small courtyard, two large lanterns hanging on either side of the gate, casting a dim, yellowish light that draped everything in a bleak hue. Four or five burly men stood in the courtyard, the whole scene deathly quiet, no one speaking or exchanging a word.

Suddenly, commotion rose from the gate. Someone rushed in and said, “That Lu fellow’s here! The head honcho says to keep a close watch on Wen Tingli.”

“Don’t worry, there’s no way out for her!”

A lone figure walked into the courtyard. Though the distance made it hard to tell for certain, his build and bearing left no doubt—it was Lu Shicheng.

Wen Tingli’s heart surged with heat, and, throwing caution aside, she rushed toward the window. The two guards in the room immediately drew their guns and aimed at her. “Behave!”

The moment Lu Shicheng entered the courtyard, Qiu Dapeng barked from the veranda: “Stop right there! Drop the gun to the ground.”

Lu Shicheng pulled a gun from inside his coat and tossed it aside without hesitation.

“There’s bound to be more on him—search him carefully!”

Several men swarmed Lu Shicheng, searching him thoroughly, even bending down to pull off his shoes, checking even his socks.

Lu Shicheng stood barefoot in the middle of the courtyard, staring coldly at Qiu Dapeng. “Finished searching? Where is she?”

Qiu Dapeng stared him down silently, seeming to wait for something.

Upstairs, on the balcony, Lu Kejian watched everything unfold from above. From the moment Lu Shicheng had walked into the courtyard alone, he’d braced himself as if facing a great enemy, gripping the arms of his wheelchair tightly, ready to counter at any moment. Watching Qiu Dapeng search Lu Shicheng thoroughly and find nothing at all, his tense expression gradually relaxed, giving way to a look of surprise mixed with delight.

“This boy’s gone mad over a woman!”

Then, with a faint smile, he sighed. “Others don’t understand this boy’s methods, but I do. There’s no way this is really so simple. Have Chairman Qiu play along for now, pretend to trust Lu Shicheng, keep him settled—and meanwhile, quietly send twenty men to search the surrounding area. I’d wager Kuang Zhilin has brought people to hide out nearby. This time, we must strike first! Remember, absolutely no killing Lu Shicheng for now—tonight, we’ll use him as a hostage. If we don’t take this chance to wipe out all his men in one stroke, we’ll only be inviting disaster on ourselves down the road.”

The man ran downstairs to relay the message to Qiu Dapeng, whose face showed hesitation. Just then, Lu Shicheng, seemingly without thinking, raised his hand to glance at his wristwatch, clearly calculating the time.

A muscle twitched at the corner of Qiu Dapeng’s eye. He shifted uneasily in his seat and, finally, exchanged a glance with the men beside him.

Before long, someone walked into the courtyard and, with a nod, sent a dozen or so burly men away, leaving more than half the courtyard emptied.

Qiu Lingyun couldn’t understand why his father was still holding off. “Father, what are you still waiting for? That Lu fellow came alone—there’s not a single shadow around here for miles. Surely he can’t have any way of sending word to anyone outside. Just send him straight to meet his maker!”

Qiu Dapeng waved a hand to silence his son and said to Lu Shicheng, “Mr. Lu, I know you’re a sharp, careful man—you surely made some arrangements before coming here. But our White Dragon Gang isn’t to be trifled with either. To avoid a bloodbath tonight, why don’t the two of us have a proper talk first.”

“I want to see her. Otherwise, there’s nothing to discuss.” A layer of frost had settled over Lu Shicheng’s face.

“Fine. She’s in the inner room. Escort Mr. Lu inside.”

“Father!”

“There are our men both inside and out. Two people with no weapons on them—what tricks could they possibly play.”

The moment the door opened, Wen Tingli ran toward it, and Lu Shicheng gathered her into his arms, lowering his head to kiss the top of her hair in comfort. “Don’t be afraid.”

Wen Tingli’s heart ached, and she buried her face against Lu Shicheng’s chest and began to cry.

Off to the side, Qiu Lingyun’s expression twisted watching this, and several times he nearly rushed forward to pull them apart, but each time Qiu Dapeng stopped him. In his view, Lu Kejian had been right—the real threat right now wasn’t the unarmed Lu Shicheng standing before them, but Kuang Zhilin and his men, lurking somewhere nearby.

Even with Lu Shicheng now in their hands, there was no telling whether he might find some unexpected way to send out a distress signal.

He had to strike first, before Kuang Zhilin could launch an attack against them!

It was hardly a stretch to imagine that the moment Lu Shicheng laid eyes on Wen Tingli, he’d lose all composure—why not use her to keep him occupied here, so he’d have no state of mind left to play any tricks. Once their men had wiped out Kuang Zhilin’s group, there would be plenty of time to personally send this star-crossed pair to their deaths.

Then again—a woman was still just a woman. However fierce she might act normally, in a real crisis, wasn’t she still just going to cry helplessly? With this thought, a trace of contempt crept across Qiu Dapeng’s face, and he forcibly dragged his son back outside, leaving only two men guarding the door, plus the two already inside the room—more than enough.

Wen Tingli sobbed against Lu Shicheng’s chest, his body perfectly positioned to block the view of the men behind them. The moment Qiu Dapeng led his men away, she suddenly looked up and exchanged a glance with Lu Shicheng. Quick as lightning, Lu Shicheng abruptly turned to one side, and Wen Tingli raised her hands, making a single gesture toward each of the guards on either side.

Two sharp cracks rang out, and the two men stared down in disbelief at their own chests, blood gushing out in an instant.

Both inside and outside the room, everyone froze in shock. What was happening? Hadn’t they already searched them thoroughly?

Where had the guns come from!

Wen Tingli, having landed both shots, wore a cold, sharp expression as she swung her aim toward the two guards at the door. Only now did the two men react, fumbling to draw their own guns to fire at Wen Tingli.

But it was already too late. Wen Tingli dropped and rolled across the floor, using the motion to pull Zhou Sao and Xiao Taozi off the bed and shove them underneath.

The two men fired wildly in a panic, but suddenly felt their wrists jerk—a few more shots came from the side, knocking the pistols clean out of their hands.

It turned out Lu Shicheng had already lunged toward the two fallen guards on the ground, swiftly pulling the guns from their waists, and, expressionless, fired several shots at the men by the door.

Every movement flowed together seamlessly, and the two guards collapsed to the ground one after another.

Qiu Dapeng, horrified beyond words, led men to force their way in, but the narrow doorframe only allowed one man through at a time—and every head that appeared was cut down by Lu Shicheng.

Qiu Dapeng bellowed in fury, “Surround them from both sides!”

At this, Qiu Lingyun had already led men to the window, planning to ambush from behind, but the moment he peeked his head up, both his shoulders took a bullet each, and he staggered, tumbling to the ground along with his cane.

Wen Tingli’s voice rang out coldly from inside. “Forgot to mention—I don’t only carry one Mauser. This one’s an M1906, a compact pistol from Browning!”

Qiu Lingyun’s mind went blank. Yes, that qipao had been far too loose on her, but even so, how could he possibly have imagined she’d have such a tiny pistol hidden on her!

If only he’d insisted on a proper search back then. No—he could only blame himself for letting her so-called “poison” scare him off. No, the real blame was that he’d let lust cloud his judgment! After knowing Wen Tingli all these years, how had he still failed to understand what kind of person she truly was? She was like wild grass—no matter how bad things got, she’d never simply give up and die.

“Father!” he wailed, his neck stiff with pain. “I told you from the start to just kill them outright, and you wouldn’t listen! Don’t fall for their sweet talk again—hurry, beat them into a bloody pulp!”

Qiu Dapeng’s face darkened like it might drip with venom. It wasn’t that he had no regrets, but regret came too late now. He wanted to act, but could only wait for his chance, rooted where he stood. The doorframe was already shot to splinters; he calculated the three guns inside surely had few bullets left.

Suddenly, the gunfire stopped. Understanding what this meant, Qiu Dapeng grabbed a subordinate beside him and shoved him into the room. Sure enough, no more gunfire followed.

Even so, he didn’t act rashly, waiting outside a while longer before finally leading a large group of men to storm in. The moment he entered, he saw the subordinate he’d just thrown in lying on the ground, a cord tied around his neck, already strangled to death.

Lu Shicheng and Wen Tingli—one crouched behind the window, gun aimed steadily outward.

The other stood in the middle of the room, eyes fixed directly on them.

Neither showed the slightest sign of fear.

“Out of bullets, are you?” Qiu Dapeng sneered coldly, his face darkening as he raised his gun and aimed it at Lu Shicheng.

But Lu Shicheng only shushed him. “Listen. What’s that sound out there?”

No sooner had he spoken than a burst of “rat-tat-tat” gunfire erupted from outside the gate, and moments later, subordinates came running into the courtyard, faces streaked with blood. “Not good, sir, Kuang Zhilin’s men were hiding down by the slope, they’re storming up now!”

Turning back, Qiu Dapeng saw Lu Shicheng smiling at him, eyebrows raised—that earlier gunfire had indeed been some kind of signal. Only minutes later, Kuang Zhilin burst in with his men.

Qiu Dapeng ground his teeth in fury, furious that Lu Shicheng had guessed his every intention correctly!

Truth was, he’d never quite decided all night whether to kill Lu Shicheng or not, because his life experience had always taught him: always leave yourself a way out. If Lu Shicheng, their hostage, ended up dead, then he and his son wouldn’t have a single card left in hand. Clinging to this thought, he’d let one golden opportunity after another slip by, and now, he absolutely couldn’t afford to make another foolish mistake.

“Die, then!” he roared, pulling the trigger repeatedly at Lu Shicheng, then suddenly sensing something wrong, threw himself backward with all his strength. Lu Shicheng’s bullet grazed dangerously close to his forehead, punching a hole in the wall right where he’d been standing.

There were still bullets left in his gun after all!

Qiu Dapeng rolled desperately out of the way on the ground, with no chance to strike back. In an instant, the courtyard erupted into full gunfire, and he heard his son crying out in panic from outside: “Father, save me!”

Qiu Dapeng steeled himself and shouted up toward the balcony: “Third Master! Third Master! It’s your turn now!”

Qiu Lingyun called out several times in the courtyard, but no one came to save him. Forcing himself up from the ground despite the searing pain, he knew that if he didn’t run now, tonight would be the night he lost his life! No—not necessarily. His father was that “nine-headed worm” who never seemed to die, and besides, they still had Lu Kejian behind them, watching everything unfold from upstairs the whole time.

Clutching this last thread of hope, he dragged himself forward with everything he had, when a stray bullet flew in from nowhere, striking him square in the arm, and he collapsed to the ground once more, losing consciousness entirely.

By the time Qiu Lingyun came to, his ears were filled with noise, his head spinning, every movement sending waves of agonizing pain through him. He forced his eyes open just enough to see his own two feet dragging across the ground—someone was struggling to carry him forward. He turned his head and nearly burst into tears: “Father…”

“Don’t talk. The brothers are covering us from behind. I’ll get you out of here, and once we’re clear, we’re safe.”

Qiu Dapeng, drenched in sweat, hauled his son out to the courtyard gate, where a car happened to be idling just ahead. Qiu Dapeng shouted toward it desperately: “Third Master, wait for us!”

As he spoke, he lunged forward and pulled open the car door, only for the person inside to kick him mercilessly, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Father and son collapsed together on the ground. Qiu Dapeng could accept that much, but Qiu Lingyun watched in disbelief as that car abandoned them right there and sped off without a backward glance.

Then, from every direction, men closed in around them—this time, there was truly no escape. Qiu Lingyun, consumed by rage and desperation, felt a mouthful of blood surge up his throat and passed out.

In his desperation, Qiu Dapeng threw his own body over his son to shield him, pulling two guns from his sleeves, and, half-mad, began firing wildly at the men closing in behind him.

For his son’s sake, he’d thrown everything he had left into this, firing off dozens of rounds in a row, managing to drive back a few attackers.

This only sent him further into a frenzy, firing wildly in every direction while keeping a watchful eye on Wen Tingli’s movements. Suddenly he spotted Zhou Sao and Xiao Taozi being escorted away by the crowd toward the other side, and immediately raised his gun, aiming it at Xiao Taozi’s head.

He’d already lost everything tonight anyway—if he couldn’t carve an unhealable wound into Wen Tingli’s heart, how could he possibly accept defeat!

If he could just hit this one target, he wouldn’t count tonight as a total loss.

That little round head, blown open—what a sight that would be. Wen Tingli would surely be driven to madness with grief.

Qiu Dapeng bared his teeth in a grin and was about to pull the trigger when, in a flash, an invisible force struck from the side, knocking his head sideways with tremendous force. Something hot began trickling down from his temple.

Sensing something was terribly wrong, he struggled to turn his eyes and caught sight of a figure standing to his right—Lu Shicheng, expressionless, gun still aimed at him, the barrel still smoking.

At the same moment, another bullet struck his forehead—this one from straight ahead.

Wen Tingli stood facing him, and, as if driven half-mad, fired shot after shot into his head.

“You dared touch Xiao Taozi! You got my father killed! You ruined my family, and now you wanted to kill my little sister too!”

His heart positioned somewhere unusual? This time, she’d blow his head apart entirely! That massive skull before her was quickly reduced to a pulverized ruin.

Lu Shicheng made no move to stop her, simply standing to the side, watching Wen Tingli vent her fury until every last bullet was spent, before finally stepping forward to gather her into his arms.

“Where are the bullets?” she demanded, struggling against him, eyes darting furiously around. “My father said this Qiu fellow was a ‘nine-headed worm,’ always harder to kill than most! We can’t let this beast draw one more breath, or he’ll come after me and my sister again!”

Lu Shicheng didn’t let go, only gently stroking the back of her head, trying to calm her.

“Let me go!”

“He’s dead!” Lu Shicheng said in a low, firm voice. “He’s already dead!”

Wen Tingli froze, staring down at the bloody, mangled corpse on the ground, staring and staring, and once she was certain Qiu Dapeng had breathed his last, a wild, ecstatic smile broke across her face.

Dead?

She stamped her foot on him.

Really dead!

Died a horrible death!

She began to laugh—this shameless man had finally died by her own hand.

This nightmare that had haunted her for nearly two years now—it was truly, finally over.