萌白酱金丝旗袍在线

Chapter 381: 175 Threat (Updated once)_2

Tao Xingxing asked in surprise, “Mom, what’s wrong with you?”

Following Wu Jiaqi’s gaze, Tao Xingxing saw an oddly dressed man in his forties or fifties picking up the straw hat from the ground, cursing as he put it back on his head. The man lit a cigarette and leisurely walked away.

Tao Xingxing was puzzled. What had his mother seen?

A hint of panic flashed through Wu Jiaqi’s eyes, and she subconsciously clutched Tao Xingxing’s hand, making him cry out, “Mom, that hurts…!”

Wu Jiaqi quickly let go, “Sorry, Xingxing.”

Wu Jiaqi watched as the man gradually disappeared into the darkness, turning a corner, then vanished.

At that moment, Du Ze returned to the car with a pack of cigarettes, tossed it into the storage compartment between the two front seats, and continued driving.

However, Wu Jiaqi couldn’t calm her nerves for a long time. As they passed the intersection, she stared into the darkness, unable to see anything clearly.

“Stop the car,” Wu Jiaqi suddenly said.

Du Ze slowly pulled over, turning his head to ask, “What happened?”

Wu Jiaqi tightly held her bag with both hands, looking at Tao Xingxing, who was yawning, his head swaying from side to side.

After struggling with hesitation for a long time, Wu Jiaqi finally said weakly, “It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

Du Ze glanced at the rearview mirror, his lips slightly curved, and resumed driving.

The alley was pitch black, with only the flickering light from the man’s cigarette glowing faintly. He passed through the alley, with the rented house just a stone’s throw away.

Ye Shuang followed from a distance, feeling that something was off about Shou Chang today, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Ye Shuang took a quick step to block Shou Chang’s path, frowning as she looked him up and down.

Shou Chang had always been scruffy and unkempt, his beard messy, and looked like a homeless man. But today, he had shaved his beard, washed his face, and cleaned his hair – making him look a decade younger.

“Shou Chang, what are you up to? Remember, you have only eight days left.”

Shou Chang took a drag on his cigarette, slowly exhaling a ring of smoke. Ye Shuang, disgusted, stepped back. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“Why don’t you kill me then? That would mean your master will never find the person he’s looking for.”

“Are you threatening me?” Ye Shuang’s fists crackled as she clenched them.

“Young lady, show some respect. When I was fighting alongside Master Wen, your father was still playing in the mud.”

“If you can’t find the person, neither you nor your son will survive.”

“I don’t need you to remind me. I can’t even wait eight days. Heh.” Shou Chang chuckled coldly, brushing past Ye Shuang to go upstairs.

Returning to the rented room, Shou Chang walked into the bathroom and stared at the face in the mirror.

Ji Chang, Shou Chang, and Lu Chang were actually biological brothers, with similar appearances.

Especially him and Ji Chang, who shared eighty percent resemblance. If it weren’t for their close relationship, it would be easy to mistake the two.

Washing his face, Shou Chang murmured, “Xi Yu, what on earth are you trying to do?”

Xi Yu didn’t kill him, but wanted to help him.

He didn’t know what Xi Yu was planning, but he believed Xi Yu’s words.

As one of Ran Bowen’s most trusted confidants, only Ji Chang had seen the mother and daughter. Xi Yu was Ji Chang’s son, so he must know the truth.

No matter what Xi Yu wanted to do, he was now his only lifeline, and he had no choice but to cling to it.

But why didn’t Xi Yu tell Ran Tengxiao directly, so he could take advantage of the situation and gain Ran Tengxiao’s trust?

Why go through such an elaborate setup…

What did he really want to do?

“Thank you for bringing me home. Go pick up Ming Jing. I really appreciate your help tonight.”

“No problem. It is all per the young lady’s instructions. Madam, please go back. It’s late.” Du Ze drove away.

Wu Jiaqi watched the taillights disappear into the night, standing silently in place.

Tao Xingxing yawned, “Mom, let’s go back. Dad…”Tao Xingxing suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Wu Jiaqi was startled and suddenly turned her head.

Tao Qian came over with a coat over his arm and draped it over Wu Jiaqi, chiding, “You’ve been drinking again?”

“Aren’t you on duty tonight? How are you at home?” Wu Jiaqi asked in surprise.

“I heard you on the phone this morning, saying you had a social engagement tonight, so I was worried. I specially changed shifts with a colleague. I called you several times, but you didn’t answer. Your assistant didn’t answer either. If I couldn’t contact you, I would have had to call the police.”

Wu Jiaqi pursed her lips, “Xiao Wang took a leave. My phone… might be out of battery.”

“It’s chilly at night, and you’ve been drinking. You can’t catch a cold. You’ll have a headache if you get up tomorrow morning. Let’s go home first.” Tao Qian held her shoulder and walked slowly inside.

Tao Xingxing hummed behind them, her parents were true love, and she was definitely an accident.

Wu Jiaqi looked at the gentle man beside her, his thoughts gradually becoming blurred.

Tao Qian noticed her distracted state and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Wu Jiaqi quickly turned her head, “Nothing.”

Tao Qian narrowed his eyes and saw her coat slipping off her shoulder. He adjusted it for her and smiled, “Jiaqi, do you remember what day it is today?”

Wu Jiaqi was stunned, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Tao Xingxing’s eyes rolled, and she suddenly clapped her hands, “Mom, how could you forget such an important day? Today is the 17th anniversary of when you and dad first met.”

Having a loving pair of parents meant that there were endless celebrations at home, such as anniversaries of meeting, falling in love, and marrying. Tao Xingxing had long memorized them all.

“I’ve been too busy at work lately, and I forgot.” Wu Jiaqi apologized.

“I’m sorry, Qian.”

Tao Qian shook his head and chuckled, “We’re husband and wife, there’s no need to apologize.”

Wu Jiaqi pursed her lips, and her memory took her back to seventeen years ago.

“Jiaqi, drink this sobering soup before going to sleep. Otherwise, you’ll have a headache tomorrow morning. Be good, drink it and then sleep.”

Wu Jiaqi opened her eyes groggily, and the bedside lamp emitted a soft, dim yellow light. The man sitting in the light was handsome and gentle, just as he was when they first met…

“Qian…” Wu Jiaqi murmured.

Tao Qian helped her sit up and fed her the soup spoon by spoon, gently wiping the water stains from the corner of her mouth with a tissue, softly saying, “Go to sleep now.”

Wu Jiaqi suddenly threw herself into his arms, tightly hugging his waist.

“Qian, I’m sorry.”

Tao Qian smiled faintly, one hand around her waist and the other gently resting on her hair.

Under the lamplight, his eyes were as tender as water.

“Have a good sleep, and when you wake up, everything will be fine.”

“Ming Jing, we agreed, I’ll wait for you at home this weekend. You must come.” Madam Shen urged Ming Jing earnestly before leaving.

Ming Jing smiled and nodded, “I’ll be there as promised.”

Madam Shen left with Shen Shaojian in their car.

Shen Zhou went to her side, “Shen Ke told me about what happened at the door just now.”

“Thanks to your assistance, I was able to avoid trouble.”

Shen Ke shook his head and chuckled, “Are you teasing me?”

“I’m genuinely grateful.”

Shen Ke looked at her, touched his nose, and changed the subject, “Forget about that. On the 20th of this month, it’s my father’s birthday. He’s been talking about you for a while, and he insists you come.”

Ming Jing nodded, “I’m honored to be invited by Mr. Shen.”

Shen Zhou thought for a moment and said, “My father wants to recognize you as his goddaughter, what do you think?”

Ming Jing was stunned and looked at Shen Zhou, “Goddaughter?”