21. Hot Search and Wild Animal

The late June breeze blowing against her body didn’t bring much relief from the heat. The clouds floating in the sky slowly moved forward, obscuring the faint moonlight and turning the already dark alley into a gaping monster, making people reluctant to approach.

The street lamp at the alley entrance had been broken for half a year and no one had fixed it. Liu Li clutched her bag strap, standing under the dim light, hesitating.

It was the third day she had brought her daughter to stay at her parents’ home. Her parents had given her an ultimatum: she must reconcile with Dong Dazhi today and move back to her own home tomorrow.

There’s no married life without stumbling blocks. Her family had advised her to be more accommodating and not to run to her parents’ home every time they quarreled. It was unseemly.

The bruises on her body hadn’t completely healed yet. Thinking of her husband’s crazed appearance when he was drunk, Liu Li couldn’t take that step.

She still remembered the threatening words Dong Dazhi had uttered as she left, “You run, but where can you go? Even if you run, you’ll have to come back to serve me. I provide you with food and clothing, and you dare to defy me? Liu Li, watch me next time, I’ll kill you!”

Three days had passed, but Dong Dazhi, unusually, hadn’t contacted Liu Li.

This only made Liu Li more afraid. She feared that Dong Dazhi was saving up and planning to settle the score when they next met.

As time grew later, Liu Li couldn’t go back to her parents’ home anymore; she had to force herself to move forward.

The old residential building had walls covered in peeling paint, and a piece of wall dust fell off. Someone had left their garbage at the doorstep, emitting a foul smell in the hot summer weather.

Climbing the stairs, through the poorly soundproofed walls, she could faintly hear the sounds of different households’ televisions, as well as conversations and laughter.

No matter how slow Liu Li’s footsteps were, she eventually reached her own doorstep.

She silently stood at the door, not hearing any sound, as quiet as if no one was there.

Had Dong Dazhi not come home yet?

Liu Li took out the key from her bag, silently praying in her heart that he either wasn’t at home or was already asleep.

The corridor light automatically went out, and Liu Li cleared her throat, making up her mind as she aimed the key at the door lock.

The lock core turned slowly, and with a “click” sound, the door opened.

There was no light inside the house, and a smell even worse than the kitchen waste downstairs crawled out through the door gap, eager to be the first.

Liu Li’s throat tightened, feeling physically nauseous.

She covered her mouth and nose, wrinkling her brow as she entered the house.

Originally, Liu Li didn’t plan to turn on the lights to avoid waking Dong Dazhi, but the smell inside the house was too disgusting, reaching an unbearable level. Liu Li turned her head to find the switch at the entrance, when suddenly, she seemed to hear rustling sounds in the darkness.

The light came on, and a fly flew past Liu Li, straight out through the door.

The faint sound became tangible, and Liu Li looked stiffly towards the living room, her mind going blank.

Her knees completely lost strength, and Liu Li fell to the ground, screaming frantically as she retreated backward.

The lights in the residential building were all on.

…

The early morning sunlight dried the morning dew, warmly welcoming everyone who rose early.

Before his brain had fully responded, Qiu Rong subconsciously reached out to grab something, but he grabbed nothing.

Sounds of dishes came from outside the bedroom, and the sound of slippers approached from far to near. Qiu Rong opened his eyes and saw Yan Ling standing at the door.

Yan Ling raised his hand and knocked on the doorframe, smiling gently. He said, “Get up and freshen up. Breakfast is ready.”

Today was Qiu Rong’s exam, although it was just a small exam to ensure passing. But the CEO still thoughtfully took care of breakfast, allowing him to sleep a little longer.

Yan Ling didn’t have many cooking skills; he could only do simple preparations with some ingredients. For example, making a fruit salad, mixing a big mixed vegetable dish, or just sandwiching something between two slices of bread and cutting it diagonally, creating a visually appealing and absolutely error-free sandwich.

Before living together with Qiu Rong, it was said that Yan Ling ate all his meals in the company cafeteria. He seemed to never set foot in the kitchen, and it was possible that he couldn’t even distinguish between pots and pans.

Fortunately, because of this, Qiu Rong, who graduated from a three-day crash course, didn’t reveal any flaws when he busily cooked at President Yan’s home.

Holding the lovingly made sandwich from his spouse, Qiu Rong ate with relish. Yan Ling poured orange juice for him and also sat down.

“The driver will come later to take you to school, and then I’ll go to the company,” Yan Ling said, “You have an exam tomorrow morning, so don’t come to pick me up tonight.”

Qiu Rong nodded and accepted the CEO’s thoughtfulness.

After some time, the two went downstairs together, and Qiu Rong saw Vincent standing by the car.

These days, Qiu Rong had only been dropping off and picking up Yan Ling at the New Moon Media parking lot. This was the first time he saw Vincent since the jealousy incident.

He wondered what urgent matter made Vincent wait in front of the boss’s apartment so early in the morning.

Vincent still had his usual composed demeanor. He opened the back door of the car and welcomed Yan Ling and Qiu Rong inside.

As Qiu Rong approached, Vincent spoke, “Good morning, Young Master Qiu.”

Thinking about this person who could be considered half of Father Yan and Mother Yan, still paying attention to every move around Yan Ling on behalf of his parents, Qiu Rong couldn’t help but raise a obedient smile and warmly respond to Vincent’s greeting, “Good morning! Vincent.”

There was a hint of restraint in his deliberate tone, causing Vincent to furrow his brow slightly and give Qiu Rong a strange look.

What illness is he suffering from so early in the morning?

Qiu Rong smiled awkwardly. He swore he heard Yan Ling’s suppressed laughter.

“No need to be so nervous, Vincent doesn’t like idle chatter,” Yan Ling whispered softly into Qiu Rong’s ear after getting into the car, “Just treat him as an ordinary assistant.”

Qiu Rong turned his head to look at Yan Ling helplessly. He also wanted to, but as long as he thought of Vincent’s connection with Father Yan and Mother Yan, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

He whispered to Yan Ling, “I’ll do my best.”

Qiu Rong didn’t know much about Yan Ling’s family background. Yan Ling rarely mentioned his parents, only saying that he had a bad relationship with them and had always lived alone in Huaguo. He had never lived with his parents, so there was not much difference between them and strangers.

But since Father Yan and Mother Yan arranged for Vincent to be by his side, Qiu Rong believed that the other party still cared about Yan Ling’s life situation.

Qiu Rong was afraid that if Father Yan and Mother Yan found out that their son had found a poor guy with nothing to his name as a boyfriend, they would feel that he was not worthy of Yan Ling.

They might even write him a check to stay away from Yan Ling.

Would his identity as the Alpha Werewolf Clan’s chieftain work at that time?

He might end up being taken to a mental hospital.

Abandoning the bizarre theater in his mind, Qiu Rong looked at Vincent in the front row and still felt that he didn’t look like a forty-year-old at all.

The stiff temperament on him was a bit like an elder, but not like a forty-year-old, more like a hundred and forty-year-old.

He didn’t know what Vincent would like.

Qiu Rong had thought about giving Vincent a gift before, and now he remembered it again.

He considered when he could find time to go to the mall and take a look.

He initially thought that Vincent had something important to inform Yan Ling, but on the way, Vincent didn’t say a word and kept looking down at his tablet.

The car stopped at the entrance of the campus building, and Yan Ling said, “The driver will come to pick you up later to take you home. Don’t forget when you come out.”

“Our Dazhi is a big boss! Just a few days ago, he said he made a lot of money and wanted to show filial piety to his mother! But guess what! That wicked woman says she has never seen any of the money in the house!”

“All the cash and cards in the house are gone! Who else could it be besides her!”

“I think she deliberately murdered him! Liu Li! She killed my son! She took the money that my son wanted to give to his mother! And now she says she wants to leave A City!”

“She’s clearly fleeing to escape punishment! The police don’t even care! Who will help my son, help me!”

“No one cares… Has the rule of law completely vanished…”

After Qiu Rong finished watching the video, Yuan Shang said, “This was the first video that surfaced last night. Later, someone anonymously leaked several photos, which were of the old woman’s son’s body…”

Yuan Shang’s face showed an indescribable expression of pain. “Just one look at them can give you nightmares.”

Qiu Rong frowned, “How were these photos leaked?”

Yuan Shang explained what he had learned, “It was the wife who discovered her husband’s body when she returned home. Her scream attracted the residents in the building, and several people had gone in before the police arrived.”

“The discussion last night wasn’t about the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but about those photos,” Yuan Shang said, “I didn’t dare to look closely, but the analysis says that besides the advanced decomposition, there were other wounds on the body.”

Yuan Shang whispered mysteriously, “Everyone says that those wounds looked like bite marks from a wild animal.”

Author’s note:

Long wait! Who joined the V club and got stuck on the first day until they bled…

Maybe Little Pigeon got drained yesterday, huh QAQ…

I did my best, I promise to learn from this lesson and prepare in advance next time (720-degree rotating kneeling)

There will also be a little red envelope drop today~