Lan Xue hadn’t noticed the look on Jiang Wangyue’s face. Once he’d opened his terminal, he shared the screen with her.
“The Rodriguez family’s businesses have all shrunk to varying degrees. Night Tryst alone lost about two-thirds of its channels and partner vendors. Even if Isaac has the means to get Night Tryst reopened, there’s no way it’ll recover to what it once was.”
Jiang Wangyue blinked, the stiff smile on her face slowly softening.
That scared her half to death, she’d thought Lan Xue was about to file a transfer request too.
“But the biggest problem right now isn’t the Rodriguez family. It’s Tinar.”
Lan Xue raised his eyes and looked at Jiang Wangyue apologetically. “I’m sorry, Female master. I haven’t found a way to deal with her yet.”
“You’ve already done great. There’s absolutely no need to apologize.”
Jiang Wangyue first affirmed Lan Xue’s abilities, then said, with a touch of excitement, “As for Tinar, what do you say we try bagging her some dark and windy night?”
Bagging… her?
Lan Xue stalled for a beat, then answered reflexively, “I suppose that could work.”
Once it sank in, Lan Xue quickly drew up a plan in his mind.
That whip stroke Tinar had landed on Jiang Wangyue’s shin, he still hadn’t paid it back.
Lan Xue’s execution was first-rate. The very next evening, he knocked on the door of Jiang Wangyue’s room, smiling all gentle and warm.
“Female master, want to come bag Tinar with me?”
Jiang Wangyue’s eyes lit up with a fwip. “Let’s go!”
To suit the dark-and-windy-night vibe, Jiang Wangyue made a point of dressing all in black, so she could blend perfectly into the dark.
Once they boarded the aircraft, Lan Xue switched on autopilot, then pulled up the map.
“Tinar’s going to this club today. We can lie in wait nearby, and the moment she shows up we bag her on the spot.”
Jiang Wangyue nodded over and over. “I think that works great.”
It was just, why did this club’s name look so familiar?
Jiang Wangyue couldn’t help rubbing her neck. Surely the original host hadn’t tagged along here with Tinar before?
The aircraft cruised smoothly, finally slowing to a stop near their destination.
Before getting off the aircraft, Lan Xue casually tied his long hair into a high ponytail, then reached back for the hood behind him.
He didn’t reach the hood, he reached Jiang Wangyue’s mischievous hand first.
Jiang Wangyue had meant to sneak a quick feel of the high ponytail and the ears, only to be caught red-handed the instant she stretched out her hand.
The two pairs of eyes met, and Jiang Wangyue wiggled her fingers awkwardly.
“Um, I…”
Before she could finish, Lan Xue dipped his head slightly and, taking her hand, placed it on his own ear of his own accord.
“You only get one squeeze. We still have business to take care of.”
“Two won’t do?” Even as Jiang Wangyue tried to haggle, her hand didn’t stop moving.
Lan Xue’s face was full of helplessness. “You’ve already squeezed several times.”
“Hehe.”
Once she’d finished with the ears, Jiang Wangyue quickly snapped back into her all-business mode, even dropping her voice considerably.
“So where are we going to stake out?”
“Follow me.”
A club soaked in extravagance and dripping with gold and glitter still had its pitch-black back alley.
The alley wasn’t dirty, exactly, but there were some strange smells to it, and Jiang Wangyue couldn’t help frowning.
A cool, large hand gently covered her mouth and nose, blocking out those smells.
Jiang Wangyue looked at Lan Xue in surprise.
But Lan Xue made a “shh” gesture, motioning for her to listen carefully.
Hurried, scrambling footsteps came from the mouth of the alley, and the moment Jiang Wangyue saw the two figures tangled together, her eyes went wide in an instant.
Good grief, now she knew where the strange smell in this place came from.
Hold on!
That female looked kind of familiar…
Tinar!!
Jiang Wangyue hurriedly patted Lan Xue’s arm, and he gave a slight nod, confirming that it was indeed Tinar.
The male beastman entangled with Tinar was tall and big, and looked extremely enthusiastic, from time to time, gasps that made the ears burn drifted on the wind into Jiang Wangyue’s and Lan Xue’s ears.
Jiang Wangyue couldn’t help gripping Lan Xue’s arm harder.
Hang on, that pair of wild lovebirds weren’t about to start up some adults-only activity right here, were they?
Jiang Wangyue watched in heart-pounding alarm, while Lan Xue’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, he even had the spare attention to gently pat her on the back, signaling her to relax, no need to be tense.
She had no idea how much time passed, but the two of them, kissing so deeply they couldn’t bear to part, finally pulled back a little.
The tall, big male beastman seemed to say something to Tinar, then reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist, and started walking toward this end of the alley.
Jiang Wangyue’s expression jolted.
The chance had come!
Jiang Wangyue gripped the huge cloth sack in her hand, eyes locked tight on the two figures drawing nearer and nearer.
There were no burlap sacks here, so she’d have to make do with a cloth sack.
Tinar hadn’t sensed anything off in the darkness at all, her whole attention was on the male beastman beside her, whose kissing technique really did leave her unable to stop herself.
Now!
Jiang Wangyue shot out in one go, and the wide cloth sack came down with a whoosh.
Tinar had just started to struggle when a sudden pain hit the back of her neck, and her body crumpled limply to the ground.
Jiang Wangyue stared at the male beastman who’d done it, utterly stunned.
Buddy, isn’t your defection a little too fast?
The male beastman, out of habit, threw Jiang Wangyue a flirtatious wink, and the next second nearly got blasted away by Lan Xue’s mental power.
It scared him so badly he leapt over two meters back on the spot. “Brother! Big brother! My bad!”
Lan Xue stepped out, face cold. “Keep your eyes in check, or I won’t mind finding them a new owner.”
Jiang Wangyue looked at Lan Xue in surprise. “You two know each other?”
“Mm. We’ve collaborated a few times, I pay the commission, he does the work.”
“Hsss—” Jiang Wangyue sucked in a cold breath, and said reflexively, “Then this job of his today counts as a workplace injury.”
Lan Xue shot the other man a glance. “He took my commission and still got to get cozy with an A-grade female. He’s not losing out.”
The male beastman let out a light scoff. “Not losing out is one thing, but once I’m done with this job of yours, I’ve got to slip off to another star system to lie low for a while. About that ship ticket…”
“Already booked. You can leave first thing tomorrow morning.”
“You’re the best, big brother!”
Jiang Wangyue looked down at Tinar, bagged and knocked out cold, and remembering the wound Ji Li had suffered, couldn’t help giving her a hard kick.
Lan Xue silently fished a ball-bat out of his spatial storage band and stuffed it into Jiang Wangyue’s hand. “Use this. Your foot won’t hurt.”
Jiang Wangyue instinctively gripped the bat, but then hesitated.
She could stab Tinar twenty-seven times without a single stroke being fatal, but this bat, she had no idea where to even begin.
Lan Xue saw Jiang Wangyue’s hesitation and took the bat back of his own accord. “Or, shall I?”
Jiang Wangyue shook her head, and right in front of the two of them, pulled a sharp dagger straight out of her pocket.
She left two wounds on Tinar’s body.
The shin, and the back.
The former was for herself, the latter was revenge for Ji Li.
The amazing thing was that even so, Tinar somehow still didn’t wake up.
Jiang Wangyue put the dagger away without batting an eye, and looked toward the male beastman standing not far off.