Huo Jing was capable of murder and arson for the sake of profit; he was a ruthless character.
Luo Qingcheng had blocked his path to wealth. As the saying goes, blocking someone’s path to wealth is like facing a blood feud. Qingcheng was in danger.
Qiao Buyi faded his worry and smiled gently, saying, “Don’t worry, I am here now.”
The system suddenly reminded him: Congratulations on regaining an opportunity for pregnancy bodily sensation transfer. If the transfer is successful, you will only need to replenish pheromones afterward.
Why did this have to happen so suddenly!
With his gaze falling on Qiao Buyi’s face, Luo Qingcheng could not conceal the surging emotions within his heart.
Qiao Buyi misunderstood his expression, pulled his hand, and said softly, “Thank you, Qingcheng. You gave me a surprise; I have already proposed breaking off the engagement with Yan Xun.”
Wait a minute, his own melodramatic behavior had actually pushed an outstanding young man onto a path of rebellion!
Luo Qingcheng’s smile vanished. After pondering for a few seconds, he poured out a few of the folic acid pills he had to take every day, but just as he was about to put them in his mouth, he was suddenly stopped.
Qiao Buyi reminded him, “The doctor’s prescription says one pill a day. Taking too much of this stuff at once will cause adverse reactions.”
Luo Qingcheng thought of something from his words: “Like what?”
“Like nausea, lethargy, digestive system disorders leading to nervous system issues, and so on. Of course, reactions differ depending on one’s physique, so it is best to stick to one pill a day.”
No wonder he had vomited so severely on the ship and felt like sleeping all the time afterward as if he had taken sleeping pills; he had thought it was just a pregnancy reaction.
After a moment of silence, Luo Qingcheng asked, “You said thank you to me just now. Did you mean what I think, that you are going to help me fend off Huo Jing?”
Qiao Buyi scanned the room and the bathroom before coming out. “Let us go get you some daily necessities first, and we can talk on the way.”
On the ship, swallowing several folic acid pills had not felt like much, but now swallowing even a single one made him want to vomit, forcing him to quickly take a large gulp of lemon water.
Stepping out of the house, several law enforcement officers were standing prominently outside the yard.
Judging by their uniforms, they were from the Pheromone Administration Bureau. This place was far from the bustle and located in a quiet area. How did they find him here?
Qiao Buyi stepped forward to greet them, but as he opened his mouth, he heard the other party state their purpose.
“Mr. Qiao, someone reported that you purchased contraband drugs. Please cooperate and come with us.”
It was Luo Qingcheng who had used his phone to purchase the contraband drugs.
Luo Qingcheng lowered his gaze unnaturally, and Qiao Buyi naturally understood as well. He said to the law enforcement officers, “Alright, wait for me a moment.”
Qiao Buyi turned around and pressed his face against Luo Qingcheng’s ear.
“I will be back soon. Wait for me at my villa. Do not go out alone and do not open the door for anyone. Trust me.”
It was not until Luo Qingcheng nodded slightly that he added in an even lower voice, “Mu Xiao is not dead. Gifting the inheritance was a trap he set up in advance.”
Qiao Buyi was taken away, and the car disappeared at the end of the road. Luo Qingcheng stood frozen in place.
His scent still lingered by his ear, yet he was being investigated just for buying some inducing pheromones?
He had only signed the contract with Lawyer Lin two hours ago. If Mu Xiao was not dead, what was his motive for spending 120,000 to hire people to visit a grave?
Luo Qingcheng rubbed his forehead, turning his entire experience over and over in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more his back turned cold. It felt like everyone had a problem!
“What are you thinking about so intently?”
An extremely oppressive figure suddenly appeared, accompanied by an unfamiliar voice. Luo Qingcheng, caught off guard, was startled badly. He blinked and looked up to meet the handsome face of Jiang Heming.
The standard three-piece suit looked exceptionally extraordinary on him, and beneath his slender arms, he wore pitch-black leather gloves, pulling a matching suitcase.
What had happened inside the coffin on Rose Island crawled out of the black suitcase like a slender vine, tightly wrapping around Luo Qingcheng’s body and making his breath stall for a fraction of a second.
“You… Did Lawyer Lin send you?” The words had just left his mouth when he realized he had said the wrong thing, and he quickly changed it: “Are you looking for accommodation? My place is not open to outsiders.”
Mu Xiao was startled for a moment, then without the slightest restraint, he shoved his hands into his pants pockets and walked into the house on his own.
Luo Qingcheng stared at the suitcase he had left behind. Did this mean he intended to drag it inside too?
Luo Qingcheng followed him: “You… This place is not welcoming you.”
He inspected the indoor facilities even more meticulously than Qiao Buyi had. He dragged his finger across the tabletop, flicked the rim of the cup of lemon water Luo Qingcheng had drunk from, scanned the living room and kitchen with his eyes, and asked indifferently, “Then who is it welcoming?”
Luo Qingcheng realized that even if he followed him, there was nothing he could do. This person merely possessed an invisible sense of oppression just from his straight back. If they actually fought, Luo Qingcheng would only be the one getting hurt. But the man certainly was not here for revenge. After all, the 300,000 IOU had not cost him a single cent.
Right, 300,000 was no small sum. Most people could not earn that in a year or two. Luo Qingcheng suddenly felt less nervous, leaning against the empty fish tank next to the dining room, and said petulantly, “Anyway, it is not you.”
Mu Xiao walked out of the bathroom and glanced at the second floor.
Luo Qingcheng stared at him and said indifferently, “You used a fake name to be my colleague twice. I remember we were not that close.”
Mu Xiao had returned to the company to handle a mountain of issues caused by his fake funeral. Just as he finished his video conference, he received a text message saying Qiao Buyi had found Luo Qingcheng.
He had grabbed his suitcase and rushed over like the wind.
Mu Xiao stood right in front of Luo Qingcheng, staring straight at him as if trying to see right through his thoughts.
Yet he found nothing. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. “There is no one else here. Why keep up the act?”
“An act?” Luo Qingcheng was puzzled, pondered for a moment, and replied, “Speaking of acting, I am no match for you acting like a madman at the club, beating people up at the funeral, and dragging me out of the coffin back to the dormitory. The one who is truly putting on an act is you, Mu Xiao.”
There was no body of Mu Xiao in the coffin yesterday, so he must have known what happened. Coupled with Da Qiao’s warning, Luo Qingcheng could only use words to bluff him.
Mu Xiao narrowed his eyes and suddenly smiled. “You used to call me Jiang Heming, not Mu Xiao. You still want pheromones, right? How about I use my pheromones to pay off your 300,000 debt?”
This person’s deep eyes and extremely calm words left Luo Qingcheng with no room in his thoughts to dwell on the weight of the past. It was clear that his powerful aura had been forged through countless high-difficulty challenges, and Luo Qingcheng found himself driven step by step into a corner.
His breath lingered by Luo Qingcheng’s ear: “You know Mu Xiao? Shouldn’t you be more familiar with Jiang Heming?”
Luo Qingcheng was thrown into confusion by him and was momentarily choked for words.
The man stretched out an arm to brace against the wall, the oppressive atmosphere tightening Luo Qingcheng’s breathing, and soon the other side was blocked off as well.
He did not touch him at all, yet he firmly imprisoned Luo Qingcheng with his body.
“Seducing me in the coffin was a base method. What, are you now as timid as a rabbit?”
“Or did you change your tactics?” Mu Xiao tentatively released some pheromones. Luo Qingcheng showed no signs of fatal danger, but his cheeks suddenly flushed with heat, and his gaze grew increasingly evasive.
This was a side of Luo Qingcheng Mu Xiao had never seen before.
Luo Qingcheng averted his face: “It was out of necessity to save my life at the time.”
Judging from last time, Mu Xiao assumed his pheromones were what made Luo Qingcheng blush and act shy. No one could resist his flawless, perfect physique, yet the Luo Qingcheng before his disappearance would never have spared him a second glance because of it.
Now, this pathetic state made Mu Xiao look down on him even more. He was even worse than those who only loved his money, while at the same time mocking his superb acting skills.
Mu Xiao asked, “Then how are you going to save your life now?”
Luo Qingcheng’s voice was low, his articulation somewhat stiff: “The 300,000 I am paying back for you is no small sum, and your measly amount of pheromones is still a far cry from covering it. So the one who needs to save their life is you.”
Mu Xiao easily saw through his bluff, making him feel even more disgusted.
Just as he was momentarily distracted, Luo Qingcheng violently thrust his knee forward while simultaneously striking the other’s waist with his elbow. But Mu Xiao was razor-sharp. He stepped back to evade the dual sneak attack and reached out to grab Luo Qingcheng’s stooped waist, only for Luo Qingcheng to roll sideways and drop.
Luo Qingcheng had anticipated that the sneak attack would fail. Using the momentum of his fall, he propped himself up with his right palm, swept out a leg, and cleanly escaped Mu Xiao’s control zone, even forcing Mu Xiao back a few steps.
The two now stood facing each other across the room. Mu Xiao was astonished by the other’s crisp movements. Only someone trained in martial arts could pull that off, which did not match the person he knew.
Luo Qingcheng stood against the light at the doorway. “I said the one who needs to save their life is you.”
Mu Xiao looked over the ordinary Beta once more. “A fluke. Are you sure you are paying back that 300,000 for me?”
“Otherwise?” Luo Qingcheng finished speaking, lowered his gaze, and savored the meaning behind his words. Indeed, he was not doing it for him.
At that time, the situation arose entirely from his urgent need for the other’s pheromones, and Luo Qingcheng realized this person was unbeatable and extremely troublesome.
He finally compromised.
“Anyway, the first floor is empty. If you want to stay, it is not out of the question. The deal is that you take care of my personal safety, clean the house, and cook three meals. You can choose to leave whenever you want.”
Mu Xiao sneered: “Does your personal safety even require me?”
Luo Qingcheng stated honestly: “Yes, I need you in the middle of the night and at dawn.”
“I will give you time to consider.” As Luo Qingcheng turned to go upstairs, the man called out to him.
“I am staying in the room next to yours.” Mu Xiao was not asking; he was informing.
“Sorry, someone is already in the room next to mine.” Luo Qingcheng walked up without looking back, his tone implying that someone already occupied his heart and that pestering him was useless.
Occupied by a ghost. Whether anyone had bought the house or was living in it, did he not know? Luo Qingcheng, you really are still putting on an act.
Unwilling to lose over such a trivial matter, Mu Xiao asked, “Who is he?”
“My recently dumped ex-boyfriend.”
As it happened, Lawyer Lin called to say he had contacted Jiang Heming, who would report tomorrow to pay off the debt.
Luo Qingcheng stared at the man downstairs, flashed a cold smile, hung up the phone, and entered his room.
Someone had mentioned that it was unfavorable for a pregnant person to attend a funeral, and visiting a grave in the middle of the night was even more taboo. Qiao Buyi’s phone kept ringing without an answer, and he had no idea how things were going on his end, but the grave visit had to happen regardless.
After getting everything arranged, he tossed and turned unable to sleep, so he simply got up early. As soon as he pulled open his door, he bumped into a dark figure standing right beside the doorframe.
Luo Qingcheng let out a gasp of surprise: “Are you playing a ghost?”
Mu Xiao was dressed in a black formal suit, his lips moving slightly: “What are you talking about? You were either pacing back and forth or tossing and turning in your room. Do you want to commit suicide and need help?”
Luo Qingcheng tilted his head to look at the left door, then snapped back to his senses: “I did not tell you to stay downstairs? Why run up to the second floor, and why is your mouth still so foul?”
Foul-mouthed?
Mu Xiao paused, actually took a breath to sniff himself. It was just lemon toothpaste scent, how was it foul?
Instantly catching the scent of Luo Qingcheng’s insult, his tone turned stern: “If I remember correctly, you were the one who said you needed me in the middle of the night and at dawn. If there is business, handle it. If not, go back to your room and sleep properly.”
Luo Qingcheng was momentarily stunned by his serious reaction, then subconsciously let out a scoff: “Follow me.”
Lawyer Lin’s supervisor, let us wait and see who plays whom better.