Peach-Orange! – Chapter 426 – Arrangements

Several days later, a decomposing corpse was discovered in a garbage dump. After layers of reporting and investigation, Chi Song, who was still in pursuit, finally realized that Chu Lingfeng…

…seemed to be dead.

A phone call was made, followed by an urgent attempt to contact Si Chen.

When the bespectacled, solemn man arrived at the garbage dump and conducted a comparison, it appeared that the body truly belonged to Chu Lingfeng.

Though his face had been gnawed beyond recognition and his body bore patches of decomposition, making identification difficult, the distinct absence of both ears and the bandages wrapped around his head served as preliminary evidence that this was indeed Chu Lingfeng.

Not only was Chi Song stunned, but even Si Chen was dumbfounded.

They had all agreed that their top priority was eliminating Chu Lingfeng, their greatest enemy. As long as he lived, none of them would ever know peace.

That man’s ability to stir trouble far surpassed even Ye Liang’s.

And now, they were being told that before they could even finalize their plans to locate Chu Lingfeng and set up a kill zone for him….

…he had inexplicably died?

His body was carelessly dumped in a garbage dump, ending it just like that?

“Let’s have the forensic examiner confirm it first.”

Due to the corrosive effects of the garbage dump’s filth and the abundance of rats, the corpse was barely recognizable as human.

But procedures still had to be followed.

Logically, Si Chen should have been overjoyed that Chu Lingfeng was dead. Yet, for some reason, he felt no sense of relief.

Chu Lingfeng was no minor character. Through years of maneuvering, he had amassed both wealth and influence. Coupled with his mastery of the Thirteen Taiyi Needles, his reputation was formidable.

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And yet, he had been killed so obscurely.

Was his death truly an accident?

After the body was transported to the hospital, the report was quickly finalized.

Gunshot wound.

A single bullet fired directly into his face.

The reason was unclear, but… he was undeniably dead.

The forensic examiner stood beside Si Chen and asked, “Young Master, how should we handle the body?”

“Burn it. Bury the ashes next to Ye Liang’s grave. Since they’re both dead, they might as well keep each other company. That way, if I ever feel like spitting on them, I won’t have to go far.”

“…”

This matter had to be relayed to Chi Xiaocheng and Su Tao.

When Si Chen arrived at the villa and broke the news to them, the same stunned expressions appeared on their faces.

Chi Xiaocheng was even more concerned about this than Su Tao. She was the first to speak up, “Was his identity verified? Is he really, truly dead?”

“The autopsy report is out. The DNA matches. We just don’t know who killed him.”

“This….”

Logically, even after consuming the poisoned apple and suffering a drastic drop in luck, a man like Chu Lingfeng shouldn’t have been easily taken down by some random thug.

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The World’s Will might no longer favor Chu Lingfeng, but a character like him still possessed inherent strength.

Ye Liang had ancient martial artists protecting him.

Chu Lingfeng was not only skilled in combat but also wielded the Thirteen Taiyi Needles.

Dying shouldn’t have been so easy.

Unless… someone with even greater luck had launched an overwhelming attack against him.

If this were true, it wasn’t exactly good news.

But Su Tao’s focus was elsewhere. “If Chu Lingfeng is dead, doesn’t that mean we’re completely safe now? We might not even need to stay here anymore?”

“Uh….”

Si Chen scratched his head, unsure why Su Tao was so fixated on this point.

Come to think of it, every time he had visited Chi Xiaocheng these past few days, Su Tao had never given him a friendly look.

Had he really done something to offend her?

Of course, he had no idea that, in Su Tao’s eyes, she and Chi Xiaocheng were now girlfriends. Though their daily lives hadn’t changed much, Su Tao couldn’t stand the fact that Si Chen kept coming over to “discuss things” with Chi Xiaocheng, often while she wasn’t around, and even shutting themselves in the same room together.

And then claiming it was just casual conversation?

Yeah, right!

But Si Chen was always busy, and Su Tao could never pin him down long enough to issue another warning or set boundaries.

If Chu Lingfeng was truly dead and they were finally safe, she couldn’t wait to move back and resume her and Xiaocheng’s peaceful life together.

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Plus, they still had school. Su Tao didn’t want to fail any more subjects this semester.

Unable to decipher the girl’s thoughts, Si Chen simply said, “Let’s stay here for another half-month to confirm the situation. We need to make sure it’s truly safe. We’ll also conduct a sweep of your neighborhood first. And even though Chu Lingfeng is dead, remember what that plainclothes officer said a week ago? He claimed he wasn’t aligned with Chu Lingfeng but took orders from a ‘Head Maid’ and that his target was Chi Xiaocheng.

“I have no idea who this ‘Head Maid’ is. There’s zero information on her. But one notable thing is that the other families in Jiuzhou City have become unusually quiet lately.”

Si Chen had his hands full with other matters as well, especially after yesterday.

His eldest brother from the Si Family’s main branch in the capital, who had always been at odds with him, had actually sent him a message.

His brother promised not to stir trouble for the time being and advised Si Chen to also lay low in Jiuzhou City. At least for the next three months, they’d maintain a truce.

Everything felt strange.

But he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

Si Chen glanced meaningfully at Chi Xiaocheng before continuing, “In any case, until everything is completely settled, let’s stay put here for now. At least nothing’s happened this past week, right?”

Su Tao pouted.

‘Stop exchanging those secretive looks! I saw that!’

Chi Xiaocheng had no other choice but to nod. “For now, this is the only option. But staying cooped up at home all day is getting a bit boring.”

Being with Tao-Tao was wonderful, of course.

But Su Tao spent her days drawing commissions, studying, and working on various projects.

While Chi Xiaocheng enjoyed cuddling with her from time to time, she didn’t want to disrupt Tao-Tao’s studies too often.

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She also wanted to find something productive to do.

Besides, the World’s Will was still a lingering concern.

But that look Si Chen had given her earlier! Had he discovered something?

Chi Xiaocheng spoke up, “Si Chen, don’t leave right away later. There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”

“Sure!”

Si Chen nodded. This was one of their coded signals.

If Su Tao was present, they’d find a way to temporarily excuse her so they could discuss things she wasn’t meant to know.

But….

To Si Chen’s surprise, Su Tao also called out to him, “Then, after you’re done talking with Xiaocheng, wait for me too. I also have something to ask you.”

“Uh….”

Si Chen didn’t understand why Su Tao was summoning him, but he nodded anyway.

“Alright. Whatever you two ask for, even if it’s the moon from the lake, I’ll fish it out for you!”

The three of them tacitly acknowledged the arrangement. Si Chen then followed Chi Xiaocheng into the study first.

Just as Chi Xiaocheng was about to speak, Si Chen suddenly raised a finger to his lips.

He gestured toward the closed door and whispered, “Su Tao seems to have noticed something. I don’t know why, but the way she looks at me is really strange. Let’s keep our voices down when discussing that matter, just in case she’s eavesdropping outside.”