Chapter 76

Chapter 76

"076"

While chatting about everyday things with Lu Ao, Xiao Lancui mulled over the photos the private detective had sent.

Xiao Jingli had found a woman who looked like Zhao Lan, planning to use the presence of a birth mother to stabilize and control Xiao Anfeng.

But the real Zhao Lan was clearly still around. Given how things had played out, Xiao Jingli had no reason to keep them apart. If Zhao Lan reappeared later, it would only push Xiao Anfeng further away from him.

Xiao Jingli was an old fox; he wouldn't make a losing bet like that.

And if Xiao Jingli was worried Zhao Lan wouldn't cooperate, that didn't hold water either.

Zhao Lan was aching to see her son. If she could meet Xiao Anfeng and celebrate the holiday together, she'd agree to any condition Xiao Jingli set, even if it meant death.

The only real possibility was that Xiao Jingli couldn't find Zhao Lan—she was gone.

Xiao Lancui closed the chat with Lu Ao and replied to Zhao Lan's earlier message:

"Sorry, I've been swamped and forgot to get back to you. My brother's out of the woods now. Hope you have a happy New Year."

Ten minutes went by. Still no reply from Zhao Lan.

Xiao Lancui figured Zhao Lan was either busy or in some kind of trouble.

Xiao Lancui glanced toward the bedroom nearby. Xiao Liqin had gone quiet again—no more yelling, no more pounding on the door. Xie Jingfang hadn't given up, going back and forth between sweet talk and tough love.

The first person who came to mind for hiding Zhao Lan was, naturally, Xiao Liqin.

Xiao Liqin had the most obvious motive to hide Zhao Lan.

As for the second suspect—Lu Siye.

Of the men tied to Xiao Anfeng right now, besides the Xiao father and son, only Lu Siye was left.

But whoever it was, Zhao Lan's disappearance had accidentally worked in his favor.

The more tear-jerking tonight's mother-son reunion was, the more the fallout between Xiao Anfeng and Xiao Jingli, once the lie was exposed, would play into his hands.

Soon after, the private detective sent another video that confirmed Xiao Lancui's hunch.

Xiao Lancui looked over at Xiao Mian, who wasn't gaming—his eyes were locked on him.

Xiao Lancui got up. Xiao Mian was about to ask where he was headed, but Xiao Lancui beat him to it: "Bathroom."

Xiao Lancui grabbed his earbuds and made for the bathroom.

After locking the door, he popped in the earbuds and hit play on the video.

The second the video started, Xiao Lancui's long lashes gave a slight flutter.

The private detective had also sent an explanation: "Boss, this is footage my guy snuck into the villa to shoot last night. I just got it."

Xiao Lancui was a bit taken aback. Xiao Jingli's villa was known for its tight security, as mentioned earlier. With Xiao Anfeng locked up there now, Xiao Jingli would definitely have even tighter patrols in place.

Xiao Lancui hadn't expected the PI to get inside the villa—this was a pleasant surprise.

He replied, "Keep a close eye on things tonight. Let me know the second anyone shows up at the villa."

He kept watching the video.

It lined up with what he'd guessed. Xiao Anfeng demanded to see Zhao Lan, and Xiao Jingli was using that as leverage to keep him in line.

From their conversation, Xiao Jingli hadn't resorted to forcing Xiao Anfeng's hand yet.

After the video ended, Xiao Lancui turned on the faucet and carefully washed his hands, then grabbed two tissues and meticulously dried his hands before opening the door.

The second the door opened, Xiao Mian, who'd been leaning against the hallway wall, quickly pocketed his phone and straightened up. "Brother."

Xiao Lancui said evenly, "The master bedroom's got a bathroom too."

Xiao Mian shook his head. "I'm waiting for you." He rubbed his nose a couple of times. "I'm dying of boredom here. So much has gone down lately—let me take you out to clear your head."

Not wanting Xiao Lancui to say no, he quickly raised his hand and added, "You pick the spot. I'll just drive and carry your bags!"

"Alright."

Xiao Mian was still racking his brain for ways to convince Xiao Lancui when he just went and agreed. He froze, taking a beat to process it, staring blankly at Xiao Lancui.

Xiao Lancui headed out. "Go warm up the car downstairs. I'll be right down."

"Got it!" Xiao Mian took off running.

Xiao Lancui went to the kitchen, poured a cup of warm water, and brought it to Xie Jingfang.

Xie Jingfang had shoved an armchair against the bedroom door. She wiped her tears and said, "Put yourself in my shoes—if you end up with Xiao Anfeng, how am I supposed to face him later—"

"Have some water." Xiao Lancui handed her the cup.

Xie Jingfang stopped crying. Her biggest comfort now was having Xiao Lancui back—and what an impressive son he was.

"Alright." Xie Jingfang only smiled when she looked at Xiao Lancui. She took the cup and took several big gulps. Her throat had gone dry from all that talking. After drinking, she said, "It's sweet."

Xiao Lancui knelt down on one knee. For a split second, the image of a young man kneeling in front of a wheelchair, holding his hand, flashed through his mind. Xiao Lancui looked down and took her free hand.

Xie Jingfang was instantly flustered, stammering, "Lan—Lancui?"

Xiao Lancui tilted his head up to look at her and said with a smile, "Mom, let him out."

His hand was a little cool as he held hers. Xie Jingfang squeezed back, her voice soft. "Alright. Whatever you say, Mom will do."

Xie Jingfang didn't ask why. She set down the cup, fished a key out of her pocket, took their joined hands, let go of his, and pressed the key into his palm. Her eyes were red as she looked at him hopefully. "Can you call me that—one more time?"

She couldn't bring herself to say the word out loud, shame flashing across her face as she hurried to add, "I'm rambling. Don't—"

"Mom." Xiao Lancui said it with a soft smile. "I'll keep calling you that until you get sick of it."

"Never, never..." Xie Jingfang, a little dazed, moved the sofa aside.

Xiao Lancui slid the key in. Before he could turn the knob, the door was ripped open from inside like a whirlwind, and a thick cloud of cigarette smoke poured out. Xiao Lancui coughed a little and got shoved aside.

Xiao Liqin stormed out. Xie Jingfang rushed to steady Xiao Lancui, scolding, "Your brother let you—"

The slam of the door cut Xie Jingfang off—Xiao Liqin was already long gone.

Surprisingly, Xie Jingfang didn't feel disappointed this time. She'd known it all along. Xiao Liqin had inherited Xiao Jingli's deep devotion—and his cold-blooded streak.

Their blood only ran hot for Xiao Anfeng and his father.

Xie Jingfang turned around and quickly asked Xiao Lancui, "Did you hit anything?"

Xiao Lancui shook his head. "I'm fine." He smoothly changed the subject. "Xiao Mian and I are going out for a stroll. Why don't you come along?"

Xie Jingfang declined. "You young folks go ahead—I'd just be a third wheel. I'll head home and wait for you."

By "home," she meant the Xie family house. Xiao Mian drove her back first, and once she was inside, he asked, "Bro, where to?"

"Supermarket."

Xiao Mian: "???"

Half an hour later, the car pulled up to the largest imported supermarket in the capital.

Around eight at night, the store wasn't crowded.

Though this high-end membership supermarket rarely got much foot traffic anyway.

Xiao Mian pushed the cart while Xiao Lancui kept tossing things in. The cart was nearly full by the time they hit the fruit aisle, and after Xiao Lancui grabbed a few more selections, Xiao Mian noticed something.

Xiao Lancui had a weakness too—he wasn't exactly savvy.

Having lived in dorms, Xiao Mian knew prices better. Everything Xiao Lancui picked was both pricey and tasted bad.

Take that eco-friendly multi-color strawberry gift box—just eight berries, a hundred or so elsewhere, but eight hundred here.

Still, Xiao Mian kept his mouth shut.

Xiao Lancui was in a rare good mood, and spending a little extra was a small price to pay.

At checkout, Xiao Mian jumped in to pay, but Xiao Lancui said coolly, "It's for Lu Ao."

"...&……Y……" Xiao Mian's scanning motion froze. His lips twitched as he watched Xiao Lancui drop over twenty grand, five shopping bags cramming the cart. He was practically green with envy.

They got in the car and headed to the address Xiao Lancui had given. Finally, at a red light, Xiao Mian blurted out in a low voice.

"Bro, why you gotta be so good to Lu Ao?"

Xiao Lancui shot back, "Is this really that good?"

Xiao Mian nodded. It wasn't about the money—twenty or thirty grand was nothing; he'd dropped a few grand on friends' gifts and meals before. What made it special was those five bags of snacks and fruit, the game console, the cartridges—gifts Xiao Lancui had handpicked.

That made all the difference.

If Xiao Lancui ever picked out a gift for him, even a one-yuan trinket would make him over the moon, and he'd take it to his grave, no question.

Xiao Mian suddenly pulled to the side of the road, sniffled, and said, "Yeah, it's real good."

A second later, he restarted the car, cracking a forced grin. "Bro, don't mind me. I know—I don't deserve it. I used to..." His voice trailed off. "I was a real jerk to you."

Xiao Lancui shot him a glance. "One bag's for you." As Xiao Mian quickly cut the engine, eyes wide, whirling around to stare at him, tears welling up, he said coolly, "Your New Year's gift. No red envelope this year."

Xiao Lancui had just remembered the red envelopes.

He'd given that ungrateful brat two before, but for one reason or another, he never got the chance again.

Later, after the Xiao clan was wiped out, he stopped keeping in touch with people. Any household staff with families had their holiday bonuses handled entirely by Lu Ao, handed out evenly from the palace.

It had been years since he'd given red envelopes, so he simply hadn't thought of it.

Xiao Mian was still young enough for red envelopes, and so was Lu Ao.

Xiao Lancui had bought a fancy red envelope at the supermarket. Passing a bank, he got out and pulled out ten thousand yuan in crisp bills.

The envelope was stuffed to the brim. When the car reached the neighborhood, he didn't pull in. Xiao Lancui took only two bags—one for Xiao Mian, and the other two left in the car were for Xie's parents.

"Bro, Lu Ao lives here?" Xiao Mian moved to get out too.

"You don't need to follow me. Go do your own thing."

Xiao Mian didn't dare argue. His eyes followed Xiao Lancui as he whispered, "I'll wait. If you're not having fun, I'm not either."

Xiao Lancui picked up the bags, said just two words: "Be good."

"Oh." Xiao Mian slumped back in his seat, lowering the window to watch Xiao Lancui near the gate. He called out, "Bro, come back early! If you can't get a cab, call me ASAP!"

Once Xiao Lancui nodded, Xiao Mian finally peeled out. In the second before the car tore off, he hissed through his teeth, "Lu Ao, you just wait!"

The neighborhood was aglow with lights, at its liveliest—TV sounds spilling from upstairs and downstairs, neighbors' laughter echoing.

Kids were even having a snowball fight in the dimly lit walkway below.

The night was pitch black.

Just as dark as the room he was about to enter.

Xiao Lancui set down the bags, flipped on the light, and dialed Lu Ao's number. "Where are you?"

Lu Ao's side was quiet, his voice all pouty. "Home. Where's A Lan? Out having fun with your little bro?"

Xiao Lancui smiled faintly, not committing to an answer. The bag with the game console and cartridges he left untouched. He carried the other bag of food to the kitchen, saying calmly, "Heading to bed?"

"Nah, can't sleep thinking about you. Watching the Spring Festival Gala replay to put myself to sleep."

"Why can't I hear anything?"

Voices immediately came through the speaker—a skit, probably, with a laugh track and applause. Lu Ao said, "I muted it to answer the call."

"Oh, keep putting yourself to sleep, then." Xiao Lancui opened the fridge, putting away the fruit and snacks, and said flatly, "I'm hanging up."

Lu Ao was still talking, but Xiao Lancui hung up.

Soon, the snacks and fruit were neatly arranged in the fridge.

Xiao Lancui closed the fridge, grabbed a bottle of purified water, and headed to the living room. He rarely drank water that wasn't cold. He took his time sipping, and by the time the bottle was empty, it was midnight.

Xiao Lancui twisted the cap back on, set the empty bottle on the coffee table, and placed the thick red envelope beside it.

He stood up, turned off the light, and left.