“We’ve checked everywhere else, only this spot is left.”
“Keep the knife ready.”
The sound of two sets of footsteps drew closer, step by step. Xia Wanzhi’s legs trembled.
She had accidentally stumbled upon the secret of these fugitives plotting murder—they would never let her go.
Moreover, it involved billions, even tens of billions of yuan… Secrets about Lu Zhuojin were always worth a fortune…
Lu Zhuojin pressed his leg against hers to stop her trembling, holding her firmly in his arms, enveloping her tightly. He whispered in her ear, “Don’t be afraid. I won’t let you die. Do you trust me?”
Xia Wanzhi nodded slightly in his embrace. Lu Zhuojin’s presence surrounded her completely, every inch of her, making her feel a little more at ease. She clung to him tightly, like clutching driftwood while adrift at sea.
The two men approached with knives in hand, the blades gleaming under the moonlight as they neared the dark, shadowy corner.
Suddenly, the gruff-voiced man let out a sharp cry—“Agh!”—and collapsed to the ground with a thud. “Help…”
The refined man followed with a piercing scream—“Ahhh!”—as both men tumbled heavily onto the dusty floor, gasping and trembling violently.
“Wh-what was that?”
“Oh my god—”
The gruff-voiced man began to sob. “I told you this place was eerie… here… here…”
“Let’s get out of here—”
“Something’s not right…”
The refined man gasped heavily.
The two men scrambled out in a panic, stumbling down the stairs with hurried steps, rustling through the grass as they fled in disarray.
In the shadows, Lu Zhuojin’s hands remained steady as he released Xia Wanzhi and asked quietly, “Can you stand?”
His voice carried a somber tone.
Xia Wanzhi breathed lightly, her face pale, and nodded. “Yes…”
“What… what happened to them?”
Lu Zhuojin replied nonchalantly, “Someone died here.”
“People who’ve done too many evil deeds fear ghosts the most… afraid of being haunted by them…”
A chill ran down Xia Wanzhi’s spine as a cold breeze swept through, causing the door to creak slightly.
She stammered, “That… that dress…”
Lu Zhuojin’s voice grew heavy. “Hmm, you’re not entirely foolish.”
They emerged from the dark corner.
Xia Wanzhi saw a dark red, old-fashioned elegant cheongsam hanging on the clothes rack.
Goosebumps rose all over her body.
Lu Zhuojin strode toward the door, his demeanor dark and brooding. “If you’re not afraid, let’s go.”
Holding her breath, Xia Wanzhi followed him closely out the door. Once outside, the soft moonlight bathed them both, and she finally dared to breathe deeply.
They stood on the platform from earlier.
“Wait a moment. Leaving now might lead us straight into them.”
As he spoke, Lu Zhuojin took out a cigarette. With a click, his silver lighter ignited a blue flame, casting deep, sharp shadows across his features, making him appear sinister and imposing.
The cigarette glowed crimson as it lit, smoke curling upward.
His face was dark, as heavy as storm clouds gathering before rain.
He seemed detached and cold, his demeanor chillingly aloof.
This somber coldness instilled fear in others.
Xia Wanzhi dared not utter a word, her heart filled with unease. He exuded an aura of intense danger.
It was as if he were contemplating how to kill, how to exact revenge, how to tear others apart with his teeth.
Lu Zhuojin exhaled a puff of smoke, removed the cigarette from his lips, and held it to Xia Wanzhi’s mouth. “Take a drag. It’ll calm your nerves.”
Obediently, Xia Wanzhi leaned in and inhaled from his hand. The sharp smoke entered her throat, and she coughed violently.
Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, the edges tinged pink, her gaze moist and soft, gentle and pliant under the moonlight.
Lu Zhuojin’s eyes swept over her face, pale and luminous in the moonlight, his finger brushing the corner of her eye. “So obedient. Why do you believe everything?”
Xia Wanzhi: “You…”
Lu Zhuojin withdrew the hand holding the cigarette, took a deep drag, his expression cool as he leaned close to her ear. “Since we’ve shared a life-and-death bond, shouldn’t we exchange some bodily fluids…”
Xia Wanzhi froze. What? Here? Then her face flushed. That?
As he spoke, Lu Zhuojin blew a puff of smoke toward Xia Wanzhi’s face, pressing his lips against hers, prying them open.
A suffocating kiss.
Lu Zhuojin greedily took every breath, every bit of oxygen from Xia Wanzhi. She felt slightly dizzy from the kiss, a sense of weightlessness washing over her.
A tingling, crackling electric current surged through her.
Until Xia Wanzhi was on the verge of suffocation…
Lu Zhuojin abruptly released her, his gaze fixed on her as she gasped for air. His expression remained cool, his eyes dark and heavy, his voice light. “What were you thinking? I meant saliva, baby~~”
Though his words were teasing, Xia Wanzhi sensed something was off about Lu Zhuojin.
His entire body seemed tense, as if holding something back, as though the moment he relaxed, whatever he was suppressing would burst forth—violent and terrifying.
It was frightening.
From behind the door, a chilling, sinister coldness slowly seeped out.
He took a slow drag of his cigarette, the smoke curling upward, enveloping him in a haze. Moonlight fell on his face, making him appear translucent in the smoke, his deep blue suit sharp and elegant, blending into the night.
The trees rustled in the wind.
Xia Wanzhi didn’t dare speak, standing awkwardly beside him, watching the wind sway the trees with him. As she listened, she began to sense something else.
Emptiness, chaos.
Lu Zhuojin took another deep drag of his cigarette, exhaling slowly, his expression finally easing.
That tense, dangerous feeling slowly dissipated into the sky, fading away.
Only then did Xia Wanzhi dare to speak timidly. “They… want to kill you…”
Lu Zhuojin replied indifferently, “Mm.”
He took another drag of his cigarette, turned to her, and smiled, leaning close to her ear. “What, worried about me?~~”
“I thought you’d call me a bastard who deserves to die~”
Xia Wanzhi mumbled softly, “I wouldn’t.”
“I’d only call you a bastard.”
Lu Zhuojin glanced at her, a faint smile on his lips.
The wind carried the scent of grass and flowers, swirling past, bringing with it a few pale pink and white petals that settled on Xia Wanzhi’s dark hair, stunningly pure and beautiful.
The moon hung above them, pale yellow and glowing softly.
Lu Zhuojin held the cigarette between his fingers, the smoke rising in a straight line.
His voice was slow, magnetic and deep. “If any framework is stable enough, it must possess an extremely strong exclusivity.”
“To shake that framework, you must pay a price in blood.”
“They… use underhanded means to enter high society, then use high-society methods to do lowly things”
“The last wipe after using the toilet isn’t about getting clean. It’s about the stain fading to a point you can accept. Life is the same—it’s not about everything being clean, but about the dirtiness being tolerable enough. That’s all.”
He placed his hands on the railing, half-embracing Xia Wanzhi, his chest pressing against her, encircling her as he whispered in her ear:
“Resources are limited. Those who win in the struggle, the snatching, the tearing—none of them are kind-hearted.”
“Some people’s only path to success is by taking a bite out of you.”
“Besides poverty and aging, which come effortlessly, everything else requires fighting with all your might.”
“Compassion cannot command troops, kindness cannot amass wealth.”
“Darling~”
The word “darling” was spoken with a gentle, lingering tenderness, carrying a faint floral scent, like moonlight coiling and slowly creeping up along her calves.
Lu Zhuojin’s breath was very, very close, slowly brushing against Xia Wanzhi’s face, carrying the scent of tobacco mixed with a hint of pheromones. His lips seemed to move forward but then held back, just a centimeter away from Xia Wanzhi’s lips. His breath alternated between cool and warm against her face, tingling and electrifying.
Lu Zhuojin’s face was stunningly handsome, even beautiful in a somewhat bewitching way. His sharp jawline and the curve of his nose were perfectly smooth, his gaze wild. Yet, at this moment, he remained motionless, staring intently into Xia Wanzhi’s eyes.
This kind of direct, unwavering stare was like a predator confirming its prey’s position before pouncing, checking if it would flee.
It felt as if he could see right through her, into her very soul.
The intensity of his gaze made Xia Wanzhi’s scalp tingle.
He gently stroked Xia Wanzhi’s eyes with his hand: “Your eyes are so pure, clearly untouched by filth, clean and bright.”
He leaned closer to Xia Wanzhi’s ear, his warm breath whispering into it: “I really want to taint them.”
His voice was tingling, carrying an electric current.