Chapter 152: Lost Wife
The bathroom was shrouded in steam as Lu Liangting sat alone in the bathtub, sulking. He understood why Old Yang had rejected him; he probably came on too strong and too fast. After all, bathing together isn’t exactly a typical thing for men.
Not everyone can handle the vibe of those huge communal baths from the Northeast, right?
So, lesson learned: take it slow!
It’s only after their relationship is a bit cozier that they can start sharing baths. Clearly, his relationship with Old Yang wasn’t as solid as he had imagined.
Ignoring the rising black smoke in the tub, Lu Liangting calmly finished his shower and changed into some clean clothes. He grabbed a dry towel to towel-dry his wet hair.
At this hour, he’d usually play some games before preparing for bed. And when it’s bedtime, he definitely remembers to lock up the doors and windows; otherwise, he might wake up to find a girl in sexy pajamas named Zhizi lounging on his bed!
“It’s so quiet. Where did Zhizi go? She’s not waiting for me outside today?”
Feeling a sense of unease, Lu Liangting frowned. Normally, Zhizi would insist on helping him dry his hair. Today, the bathroom was eerily empty, and he couldn’t even hear her making midnight snacks downstairs.
“Zhizi, are you around?”
He tossed the towel over the doorknob, threw on some shorts and a t-shirt, and quickly moved downstairs, trying to call out again.
“Zhizi! Sister Rose!”
The kitchen downstairs was deserted, and something was still simmering in a pot.
The lighting in the building felt dimmer than usual. Lu Liangting glanced down to find a drop of bl**d on the spotless kitchen floor, standing out starkly against the pristine, grease-free tiles. He crouched down, touched the floor with his finger, and sniffed it.
“It’s bl**d…” His expression shifted, and he hurried toward Zhizi’s bedroom.
Zhizi’s room was on the first floor; he pushed the door open without a second thought.
The room, themed with four-leaf clovers and a whimsical light green, was also empty.
A faint scent lingered in the air—Zhizi’s fragrance—and a glance at the black stockings on the bed told him all he needed to know. He quickly shut the door.
Girls’ rooms are sacred; he understood that.
But the real issue here was that Zhizi was missing!
He fished his phone from his pocket and called Zhizi’s number, rushing out the door without bothering to change his clothes
The phone rang and rang… and rang… no answer.
He called Sister Rose’s number too, but all he got was that dreaded “unanswered” tone.
“What on earth is happening…?”
In a frenzy, he searched the courtyard, checking every corner of the estate—for clues, anything useful.
“Zhizi is strong; there’s no way anyone could silently k*ll or kidnap her.”
“There must have been something that lured her out…”
“But if something actually happened, she would’ve given me a heads up!”
“Could it be people from the Ghost Domain? They know Feng Xi is with me, and they’re targeting those close to me on purpose?”
He stomped back into his two-story villa within the estate, changing into more practical clothing.
“Old Yang, did you sense anything while I was in the bath?”
“Nope, no one else came in.” Old Yang replied casually.
“No one at all?”
“Not a single clue.”
At that moment, Lu Liangting recalled the drop of bl**d in the kitchen. Just as he was about to head back for another look, his phone buzzed in his pocket—Zhizi’s name flashing on the screen.
He answered quickly, “Zhizi, where are you right now?”
Silence hung on the line for two seconds.
“Sister Rose is missing, and I’m looking for her.”
“Rose is missing?!”
“Yeah, I haven’t been able to reach her since the evening. I found bl**d on the floor, but I haven’t uncovered any leads.”
Zhizi’s voice was heavy with worry; he could hear the urgency.
“Don’t come back just yet. Let’s figure this out together. Sister Rose is family to me too, so you don’t have to shoulder everything alone.”
“I’ll be home soon.”
Lu Liangting paced back and forth in the living room. About fifteen minutes later, he spotted Zhizi’s Porsche screeching into the estate.
From a distance, he could see her silhouette. She looked utterly lost.
“Zhizi, what happened to Sister Rose?”
“I don’t know, but she’s likely in some trouble. The bl**d in the kitchen was hers, and I think she’s been kidnapped.” Zhizi’s head hung low, her face devoid of light, “I checked the security footage, and all I saw was a black shadow wearing a fox mask.”
“A mask?!?” Lu Liangting clenched his fists, slamming the table, “Those darned Ghost Domain pests!”
“No, it might not be them.” Zhizi shook her head, “Sister’s stronger than I am, and way smarter. The folks from the Ghost Domain wouldn’t be able to catch her. Whoever got her…”
“Could it be…?”
“Not her; she’s dead. But those guys aren’t too different from her.”
Zhizi reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out two tickets, glossy and black, with a giant Ferris wheel depicted on the background, “I only found this in the kitchen and Sister’s room.”
Lu Liangting took the tickets, “White Day Amusement Park?”
The tickets were stained with old, dried bl**d. Not just bl**d; they looked like they had seen better days, yellowed at the edges, with a usage date of July 3rd—just five days away.
Zhizi flipped her ticket over; the back read a note in red ink.
“Zhizi, you must remember, just give it your all. The rest is up to your sister.”
The handwriting was certainly Sister Rose’s, but Zhizi couldn’t make heads or tails of what Sister Rose was trying to say. If there was a plan, why didn’t she share it with her?
—
“Bai Yu, is the Evil God in my body really that tough? Am I going to d*e?” In the dead of night, Zhao Mingyue lay in bed, tightly clutching Bai Yu. Her voice was heavy with emotion, though her hand found its way under Bai Yu’s nightgown.
“With me around, you absolutely won’t d*e.”
“I believe you, but I can’t help thinking this is way more serious than I imagined. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to seek out the Dragon Lady.”
Zhao Mingyue knew Bai Yu too well. If Bai Yu could handle it alone, she’d never ask for help. The very fact that she did meant Bai Yu wasn’t completely sure.
“Just in case.”
“Of course, that makes sense.” Zhao Mingyue buried her face in Bai Yu’s hair, inhaling that familiar scent.
“Actually, I have another question.”
“What question?”
“When you guys were chatting today, you were talking right in front of that Evil God, right? She must’ve heard everything; doesn’t that count as plotting right under the enemy’s nose?”
Zhao Mingyue smugly hit the nail on the head—of course, the Evil God could hear everything they said.
“It’s fine, it doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, so it doesn’t matter, huh…”
That sounded reasonable, and Bai Yu must’ve considered that too. The lack of response indicated her stance.
But then again, even if the Evil God knew, it didn’t change much. They hadn’t discussed too many specifics, and once they were there, they knew she’d be after them regardless. Zhao Mingyue was in a vulnerable state; perhaps Bai Yu wouldn’t mind the Evil God being a tad more alert.
“So when are we planning to set off?”
“In five days.” That was Bai Yu’s response, kept internally. Some matters could be shared openly with Burning Heart; others, not so much.
The Dragon Lady’s location would be sent over tomorrow—time to take action.
She had refrained from acting earlier because she wanted to bolster her strength for a more secure approach. The Dragon Lady was likely thinking the same—otherwise, she wouldn’t have suggested waiting five months.
There was no more time to waste; the Evil God was awakening, and the sooner they dealt with it, the better.
Bai Yu had a daring idea: to eradicate the Godmother’s consciousness, allowing Zhao Mingyue to absorb the remaining powers. This way, Zhao Mingyue’s strength would see a significant boost, giving her some resistance against the Evil God in the future.
“Five days already? That feels quick.” Zhao Mingyue yawned, “I wonder what’s up with that guy Lu Liangting; he’s been ghosting me. I texted him, and he didn’t respond.”
“Surely Lu Liangting wouldn’t head to Eternal Life Village; that place is infamous for people disappearing.”
Bai Yu was caught in thought, debating whether to involve Lu Liangting. If he came, he’d definitely attract a host of players, which would mix things up a bit, slightly lowering the difficulty, but also ramping up unpredictability.
After much deliberation, Bai Yu decided against calling on Lu Liangting. With the Dragon Lady’s help, they’d be fine.
What she didn’t know was that even if Lu Liangting wanted to come, it wouldn’t be feasible.
The next two days were ordinary for Zhao Mingyue, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Lu Liangting was acting strangely. He kept disappearing during the last period of his afternoon classes, even preferring to skip them entirely.
Every time she asked him about it, he’d just look all thoughtful and wouldn’t say a word.
By the afternoon of the third day, Lu Liangting didn’t show up at all.
As Zhao Mingyue lingered after school, Teacher Chen stood at the door, waving her over.
“Mingyue, come here for a moment; I need to talk to you about something.”
“Oh, okay, coming right now.”
—
Transitioning a few chapters, gearing up for the next subplot.
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