Chapter 68

Chapter 68

"068"

After getting information from Cheng Peng, Lu Ao rented unit 2701 the next day.

He didn't know what Xiao Lancui had planned, but it didn't hurt to have a backup.

The elevator arrived at the 27th floor, and Lu Ao got out.

Once inside, Lu Ao went to the spare bedroom. The spare bedroom had a ledge for the air conditioning unit. From there, it was a three-meter drop to the terrace below—if you hit the right spot, you could jump down.

Lu Ao had made that jump three times before.

It was almost seven, and the sky had long gone pitch dark, with a few scattered snowflakes drifting down. This side faced away from the green mountains—one of the building's selling points. Out front, a sea of city lights; behind, the quiet of the mountains.

Lu Ao grabbed the high-definition video phone he'd purchased in advance and easily jumped down to the 26th-floor terrace into the snowy night.

Cheng Peng hadn't touched the terrace—it was just how the previous owner had left it. There was a rock garden with a pond, a few potted ornamental trees, all evergreens. From the terrace, you had to go through another room to get to the living room. The 26th floor wasn't an open floor plan, but the door was open, so he could see into the living room.

Lu Ao started recording. The picture was crystal clear. Lu Ao had sharp ears and could just barely make out a muffled conversation.

"Hey, sit down and have some tea first. Five minutes... no, ten! I'm gonna go get you a surprise!"

Cheng Peng's voice.

In the frame, Cheng Peng pushed Xiao Jingli down onto the sofa.

Xiao Jingli was clearly into it, nodding and smiling. Cheng Peng headed for the master bedroom.

The master bedroom was about ten meters from the terrace, separated by two windows. The master bedroom had a ten-meter-long balcony. Lu Ao had never set foot on that balcony, but he'd done the math—if he hit the edges of those two windows just right, he could get over there cleanly.

Lu Ao moved right away.

He'd stashed emergency gear on the left side of the rock garden a week ago. Still untouched. No one had found them.

This doubled as a test. No one had set foot on that terrace in the past week.

He secured a safety rope around a large rock in the rock garden, hooking the other end to his waist. He was about two seconds behind Cheng Peng, but he was quick—by the time Cheng Peng pushed open the master bedroom door, Lu Ao had already landed silently on the balcony.

The balcony door was shut, the sheer curtain mostly pulled, leaving just a small gap to see inside.

Lu Ao started a new recording, aiming the lens at the room.

Cheng Peng quickly shut the door and turned on the light. The bedroom lit up, and a pale face appeared in the frame—sure enough, it was Xiao Anfeng.

Lu Ao could barely hear Xiao Anfeng's voice. Reading his lips, he narrowed his dark eyes.

Xiao Anfeng was asking: "The lover you mentioned... is it that guy outside?"

Just then, a notification popped up on Xiao Liqin's phone.

His phone screen lit up briefly. He glanced at it, then casually looked away, going back to his conversation with Grandpa Xie.

At the same time, Xiao Lancui was answering Grandma Xie. "No."

Grandma Xie set a glass of pear juice next to Xiao Lancui's hand, smiling. "If you're not dating, it's because your standards are too high. With your personality and looks, I don't believe for a second that no girl likes you. Tell Grandma what you're looking for in a partner. I'll keep an eye out for you."

Xie Jingfang jumped in. "Grandma has taught thousands of students. Plenty of great girls. Tell us what you want—who knows, maybe there's a perfect match."

The idea to set Xiao Lancui up with a girlfriend was Xie Jingfang's.

She knew Xiao Lancui wasn't dating anyone. She'd been thinking about it a lot lately. Last time, Xiao Lancui left without saying goodbye and freaked her out. She knew deep down that Xiao Lancui still hadn't accepted her.

Or, more accurately, forgiven her.

Xie Jingfang knew this was her own doing. She had poisoned Xiao Lancui for over a decade, ignored him, and treated him coldly. It wasn't something that could be erased just because she was his birth mother.

Xiao Lancui's refusal to forgive her was her punishment for what she'd done.

She just didn't want Xiao Lancui to leave again. She needed to give him something to keep him here. She couldn't be that anchor—and neither could anyone in the Xiao or Xie family. The only solution she could think of was finding Xiao Lancui a partner.

Xie Jingfang waited nervously. Xiao Lancui didn't dodge—he just gave an answer.

"As long as I like them, that's enough."

Grandma Xie laughed. "That's the highest bar of all! Everything else is easy, but 'like' is the hardest. In this life, finding someone you truly like is rare."

Her words hit home with Xiao Liqin. His calm, composed gaze drifted back to his phone.

Xiao Lancui caught every bit of it. He took a sip of the pear juice, then suddenly leaned over and whispered something to Xie Jingfang.

Xie Jingfang didn't hesitate—she nodded twice.

After dinner, Xiao Liqin put on his coat and was about to head out when Xie Jingfang suddenly called his name. "Liqin, I'm not feeling well. Come sit with me in my room for a bit."

Xiao Liqin went over and helped Xie Jingfang. Her other hand reached out and grabbed Xiao Lancui. "You come too."

Xiao Liqin looked at Xiao Lancui. "It's New Year's. Let's make Mom happy."

He was obviously in a good mood.

Xiao Lancui said indifferently, "Fine."

Xiao Mian wanted to follow, but Grandma Xie dragged him off. "Come help me cut fruit."

Xiao Mian groaned, "Free labor again!" He kept glancing back at the three figures going upstairs.

Grandma Xie said, "It's not free. Grandma will give you a big red envelope."

Xiao Mian didn't care. Then Grandma Xie leaned in and whispered, "Your mom's trying to patch things up between your oldest and second brother. Don't go butting in."

Xiao Mian was stunned. So that's what this was about. A wave of frustration and annoyance rose in his chest.

He didn't want Xiao Lancui getting close to Xiao Liqin—being close to him was enough. And there was already a psycho competing for his attention. He couldn't handle one more person, even if it was Xiao Liqin!

But no matter how much Xiao Mian sulked, Grandma Xie still dragged him into the kitchen.

Xiao Lancui and the others reached the second-floor bedroom. Xie Jingfang was overjoyed. She sat up against the headboard, holding Xiao Lancui's hand in one and Xiao Liqin's in the other. Her eyes were a little red as she pressed their hands together and patted them. "You're blood brothers. Let's leave the past behind. Start fresh."

Xiao Liqin seemed genuinely moved. "Mom, I was wrong. I didn't think about how you felt. I'm sorry."

Xiao Lancui stayed silent. He glanced at Xiao Liqin's coat from the corner of his eye, pulled his hand back, and said, "I'll get you some water."

Xie Jingfang nodded and went back to talking with Xiao Liqin.

Xiao Lancui poured a full glass of water. When he got back to the bed and was about to hand it to Xie Jingfang, he suddenly coughed violently. The water in his hand spilled all over Xiao Liqin.

It wasn't on purpose. After the coughing fit, he just said, "Sorry."

Xie Jingfang was the first to check on him, "You're still coughing so badly. Maybe we should get a doctor to come take a look. You've been coughing nonstop for days."

Everyone knew Xiao Lancui was in bad health, so Xiao Liqin didn't pay it much mind. He stood up and took off his jacket—it was open anyway, so it was mostly fine, only his shirt was wet in a spot. He walked to the sofa, laid his jacket over the back, and headed to the bathroom. "It's fine, I'll go clean up."

Xiao Lancui spoke again, "Mom, my meds are downstairs..."

Xie Jingfang hopped right out of bed. "Don't get up. Just rest for a bit, I'll go get it."

Xiao Lancui nodded. "It's in my bag."

Xie Jingfang left.

Listening to the water running in the bathroom, Xiao Lancui quickly walked to the sofa, pulled out Xiao Liqin's phone, and swiftly entered the unlock password.

Xiao Anfeng's birthday.

The phone unlocked, and he saw a bunch of surveillance video notifications.

Xiao Lancui quickly sent a copy to his own phone. Xiao Liqin finished and came out, seeing Xiao Lancui sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed, expressionless, his face deathly pale, but his lips bright red. Hearing the footsteps, he cracked his eyes open, his dark pupils looking at him indifferently.

Even Xiao Liqin felt a chill run down his spine.

Ever since returning alive from the sea, Xiao Lancui always gave him the creeps—like the living dead.

He quickly grabbed his jacket and slung it over his arm, asking casually, "Where did Mom go?"

Xiao Lancui answered him, his voice as cold as his expression, "I wasn't feeling well, so she went to get my meds."

With Xie Jingfang gone, Xiao Liqin didn't want to stick around. He nodded and headed for the door. "You rest, I'm leaving."

Xiao Lancui closed his eyes again. In the dark, Xie Jingfang came back, traded a few words with Xiao Liqin at the door, and hurried in.

Xiao Lancui's bag was stuffed with meds—a bottle of traditional Chinese medicine and a ton of Western pills. Xie Jingfang had always known Xiao Lancui had to take medicine daily, but seeing the sheer quantity with her own eyes, she felt like she was about to cry again.

But Xiao Lancui downed the pills like it was nothing—dozens of tablets, gone in seconds. Meeting Xie Jingfang's red-rimmed eyes, the woman's lips were trembling.

Xiao Lancui finally said something to comfort her, "I'm fine, I'm used to it."

But that just made Xie Jingfang feel even worse. She covered her mouth, couldn't speak for a long moment, then dropped the subject. "Did you talk things out with your eldest brother?"

Back at dinner, Xiao Lancui had asked Xie Jingfang to keep Xiao Liqin there—he wanted to make peace with him.

Xiao Lancui gave a faint smile but didn't reply. Soon after, Xie Jingfang reluctantly headed back to the Xiao residence.

Now that Xiao Jingli had dirt on her for the poisoning, she had to do what that old bastard said until she figured something out.

Xie Jingfang's hatred for Xiao Jingli kept growing. The second she got back, she couldn't stand to stay a moment longer anywhere Xiao Jingli had been, and quickly retreated to her own room.

Xiao Lancui also turned down Xiao Mian's invite to play games. He went back to his room, took a shower first, and only then opened Xiao Liqin's surveillance feed.

It was past midnight now. The recording had been going for 4 hours, starting at 7.

Xiao Lancui clicked on the playback.

Xiao Anfeng's voice trembled as he asked Cheng Peng, "The lover you mentioned... is that man outside?"

Xiao Lancui glanced around and figured it out—this was Cheng Peng and Xiao Jingli's bedroom.

Cheng Peng's face was flushed as he apologized in a small voice, "Sorry, I didn't tell you I'm actually the mistress... ah, maybe the mistress or the fifth. My husband has a family, so you two can't meet. Just bear with hiding a little longer, okay? My husband gets super jealous—if he finds another guy in my room, he'll lose it. He'll leave soon; it's almost New Year, so he has to go home to his family."

Xiao Anfeng's face went pale. "He... he has a family and still keeps you, and you... you're a man..."

"What's so weird about that? My husband's a big shot—he married a woman to keep the rumors at bay."

Cheng Peng rambled on and then left again. Xiao Anfeng's face went even paler. He bit his lower lip so hard it split, tiny beads of blood welling up.

What followed was Xiao Anfeng crying alone. Xiao Lancui fast-forwarded to ten, when Cheng Peng came rushing in frantically, pushing Xiao Anfeng into the wardrobe and instructing him, "Hide well! Don't come out!"

Without giving Xiao Anfeng any time to respond, Cheng Peng dashed back out.

Moments later, a couple stumbled through the bedroom door, locked in a passionate kiss. Cheng Peng's long legs were wrapped tightly around Xiao Jingli's waist. Xiao Jingli, panting heavily, tossed Cheng Peng onto the bed and pressed down on top of him.

There was another camera in the wardrobe, aimed directly at Xiao Anfeng.

Seeing the scene on the bed, Xiao Anfeng clamped both hands over his mouth, tears seeping through his fingers, his chest already soaked.

Cheng Peng's moans grew louder and louder. Xiao Lancui watched patiently—and sure enough, a few minutes later, he heard what Xiao Liqin had wanted.

Xiao Jingli suddenly clamped his hand over Cheng Peng's mouth. Cheng Peng's features were similar, but his voice was completely different from Xiao Anfeng's.

Xiao Jingli called out in passion.

"Fengfeng, call me Daddy."

Xiao Lancui was about to turn off the surveillance when his dark eyes suddenly flickered. He paused the video and kept zooming in on the frame, finally stopping on a small corner of the sheer curtain.

It was subtle, but behind the curtain—

Was there someone else?