Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Leave No Loose Ends (Revised) On Jiang Shixu's side. Chen Jingsu had her throat slit by the man on duty guarding her at the base, and she died on the spot. The killer was quickly subdued by other base personnel. Before Jiang Shixu could even arrive, the killer died from bleeding from all seven orifices. When Jiang Shixu reached the base's basement, Chen Jingsu had already been covered with a white cloth, with a large pool of blood beneath her. The man bleeding from all seven orifices lay in the pool of blood beside Chen Jingsu. The man was A-Gang, who worked for Jiang Shixu at the base. Lu Ze, the base's person in charge, stood beside Jiang Shixu, trembling as he spoke: "Young Master, A-Gang and A-Qiang were on duty tonight. A-Gang, for reasons unknown and under someone's orders, suddenly attacked Chen Jingsu. His strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless—right at the vital spot. A-Qiang tried to stop him but it was too late." Jiang Shixu's brows were tightly furrowed as he stared at the horrifying, conspicuous pool of blood on the ground. His voice betrayed no emotion. "The mastermind behind this wanted to silence her." Lu Ze wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and suddenly dropped to his knees. "Young Master, please punish me!" Jiang Shixu spoke calmly: "This is where we are now. Call the police first." Lu Ze looked up. "But if we call the police, we'll be implicated for illegal detention..." Jiang Shixu's indifferent gaze swept over him. Before he could speak, Lu Ze quickly said, "I was the one who illegally detained Chen. I'll turn myself in." Jiang Shixu pressed his lips into a thin line, gazing thoughtfully at A-Gang, who lay bleeding from all seven orifices. "Who are A-Gang's family members?" Lu Ze replied, "He's forty this year, unmarried with no children. He only has a frail, sickly mother in her sixties." "Where is his mother now?" Lu Ze was taken aback. "It all happened so suddenly, I... Young Master, this was my oversight!" Jiang Shixu's expression turned displeased. "He must have been coerced. His mother has likely already been taken into custody by the other side. I fear she's in grave danger. Lu Ze, you've disappointed me greatly..." Lu Ze lowered his head. "Young Master, I'm willing to accept any punishment!" A layer of frost covered Jiang Shixu's eyes. "Knowing about A-Gang's family situation and using his mother as a hostage to threaten him... it seems this mastermind..." Lu Ze looked incredulous. "Young Master, are you saying..." A cold glint flashed in Jiang Shixu's eyes. "There's a mole among us. Have someone else turn themselves in. You focus on thoroughly investigating this matter." Lu Ze nodded with a grave expression. "Yes!" ... At a private villa. A bodyguard in black lowered his head to report: "Lord Cheng, the problem has been dealt with." "Good. Well done." "Take care of Chen Jingsu's father and that A-Gang's old mother as well. Leave no loose ends." "Yes." After the bodyguard left, the man took out his phone and made an overseas call. "Brother Zhou, everything has been taken care of." ... Jiang Shixu came out of the base and opened his phone to see missed calls from Chu Tang. He immediately called back. "Tangtang, are you asleep?" Chu Tang's voice was groggy, sounding very sleepy. "Mmm... I'm so sleepy, I can barely keep my eyes open." Jiang Shixu got into the car and sat in the back seat, his tone gentle. "If you're sleepy, why haven't you gone to sleep?" Chu Tang's voice was thick with drowsiness, sounding soft and tender. "I was waiting for your call." Jiang Shixu's cold, hardened heart softened completely. "I just finished handling things here. Do you want me to come over and keep you company?" Chu Tang glanced at the time and mumbled, "Tomorrow. I need to sleep now." "Alright." Jiang Shixu said warmly, "It's cold at night. Keep the covers on." "I know. Do you think I'm still a three-year-old who doesn't know how to use a blanket..." Chu Tang's voice was wrapped in sleepiness, growing softer and softer until it faded away entirely, leaving only the steady, long breaths on the other end of the line. Jiang Shixu kept his hand holding the phone, quietly listening to Chu Tang's breathing. His arm grew sore, yet he couldn't bear to hang up. He kept the call going all the way back to the villa where he usually stayed. Just as he got out of the car, the driver said respectfully, "Young Master, Lu Ze just called saying he has urgent matters to discuss with you. He couldn't get through to your phone." Jiang Shixu withdrew the tenderness from his eyes and hung up the call with Chu Tang. The moment he hung up, Lu Ze's call came through immediately. Jiang Shixu answered in a cold, detached tone. "What is it?" Lu Ze's voice was tense and slightly trembling. "Something's wrong, Young Master. Our people just called to say that Chen Jingsu's father jumped to his death from the hospital building. I suspect this isn't a coincidence... And the people sent to find A-Gang's mother also reported that... that..." Jiang Shixu narrowed his eyes, his tone carrying a chill. "That what?" "That A-Gang's mother died of carbon monoxide poisoning from burning charcoal to keep warm at home..." A sharp glint flashed in Jiang Shixu's eyes. "Can she be saved?" Lu Ze's voice trembled. "By the time our people found her, she had already stopped breathing." Cold light burst from Jiang Shixu's eyes, his voice as cold as if it had been quenched in ice. "Lu Ze, if you can't get to the bottom of this within five days, you know very well what the consequences will be." Lu Ze replied fearfully, "Yes..." ... The next morning at dawn. Chu Tang was woken up by the sound of knocking on the door. At first, the "thump thump thump" knocking appeared in Chu Tang's dream. It went on for a long time. Gradually, Chu Tang regained consciousness and woke from her dream. The knocking became clearer and clearer—it turned out someone was knocking on the door in reality. Who could it be at this hour of the morning? Chu Tang had been troubled by something on her mind last night and had gone to bed late. Now, having been roused from her dream before she'd had enough sleep, she—who never usually had morning crankiness—was genuinely irritated. She got up, shuffled into her fuzzy slippers, and went out of the bedroom to open the door. Pulling the door open, Chu Tang yawned and said lazily, "Who is it?" She rubbed her bleary eyes, and Gu Zechuan's annoying face appeared before her. Gu Zechuan was holding a bag, smiling as he said, "Chu Tang, I brought you breakfast. You have low blood sugar, so you need to remember to eat." "Are you out of your mind?!" Chu Tang was so angry that all sleepiness vanished, and she cursed without any politeness. Gu Zechuan wasn't bothered. He raised the bag in his hand. "There's your favorite soup dumplings and osmanthus cake." "Bang—" Chu Tang slammed the door shut, shutting out that annoying face. Gu Zechuan froze for a moment, the smile on his lips stiffening. He pounded on the door from outside and shouted, "Chu Tang, open the door! You can be angry with me, you can not want to see me, but don't starve yourself. Take the breakfast in first, be good." Chu Tang was furious. Why wouldn't this man just leave her alone? She shouted from behind the door, "Gu Zechuan, get lost! If you keep harassing me, I'll call the police!" The sound outside stopped. After a moment, Gu Zechuan said, "I've left the breakfast at your door. Remember to eat it later." Chu Tang rolled her eyes and went back to her room, intending to catch some more sleep. But with something weighing on her mind, falling back asleep was hard. She lay in bed for a while, tossing and turning without being able to sleep. Chu Tang sighed, irritably ran her hands through her hair, and got up to go to the bathroom to wash up. Meanwhile. Jiang Shixu's black Maybach pulled up at the entrance of Mingjia Garden. After what had happened last night, this was a sensitive time, and Jiang Shixu didn't want to draw too much attention, so he'd switched to a low-key Maybach. He got out of the car, followed by bodyguards in black suits. Arriving at the building where Chu Tang lived, Jiang Shixu said calmly, "Wait for me here." The bodyguard nodded respectfully. "Yes, sir." Jiang Shixu walked to Chu Tang's door and knocked. No response. He knocked a few more times, patiently. "Gu Zechuan, are you done or not?! I'm really going to call the police!" Chu Tang yanked the door open and shouted at the top of her lungs in irritation. Jiang Shixu froze. Their eyes met. A hint of confusion surfaced in Jiang Shixu's deep, dark eyes. "Gu Zechuan?"