The next morning, before dawn, Chu Yuxuan got up and lazily walked downstairs. As usual, he shouted, "Third Brother, get up and go to the bathroom!"
It had been a while since he had teased this guy after moving to Zhao Yanan's neighborhood.
Xiao Qing poked her head out from the kitchen, her hair disheveled. She greeted him shyly, "Young Master, good morning!"
Now that they were being honest with each other, she seemed to have relaxed a lot, and her smile was much more natural.
Chu Yuxuan smiled and nodded in response, then turned to make himself some tea. Halfway there, he saw Fourth Brother sitting perfectly still in front of the statue of Guan Erye, holding a Bible and reciting softly.
"Fourth Brother, are you visiting the wrong grave so early in the morning?"
Fourth Brother turned his head slowly, his stiff expression appearing somewhat naïve. He said calmly, "I'm used to reading the Bible in front of the statue."
Chu Yuxuan: …
"Go ahead, but watch out or Guan Erye might strike you down!"
With that, Chu Yuxuan made his tea, sat on the sofa, and checked the time before calling Chu Zhqing. It took a while for the call to be answered, and a groggy young woman's voice came through, "Hello?"
Chu Yuxuan: …
After a moment of noise, Chu Zhqing's voice came through, surprised, "Son, I'm out for my morning exercise. I met a like-minded young woman and we're discussing fitness. My phone was set aside, and her phone, like mine, has the same ringtone. Haha… What's up so early?"
Chu Yuxuan knew his father's habits and didn't bother with pleasantries. He asked, "Are you investigating my mother's case too?"
Chu Zhqing was silent for a moment before replying, "Xiao Qing gave herself away? Son, I'm doing this for your sake. You…"
Chu Yuxuan interrupted him, "How's the investigation going? Do you have anything to share?"
Chu Zhqing pondered, "No leads yet. How about you?"
Without hesitation, Chu Yuxuan shared all the information he had from Chen Hong.
"A tattoo? From Jiangcheng… This is crucial. I'll have someone look into it immediately!"
"Hmm… Chu Zhqing, I always thought you only cared about the family fortune," Chu Yuxuan paused, "But it seems you also have a place in your heart for my mother?"
Chu Zhqing laughed, "I never said I didn't love her. It's just that your thoughts are too obsessive."
Chu Yuxuan snorted, "You didn't cherish her while she was alive. She couldn't even see you once! Now, you tell me you love her? Haha, don't you find that laughable?"
Chu Zhqing fell silent again. After a long pause, seemingly unwilling to discuss the topic further, he said, "Son, you've been very quiet lately, which might make your aunt and uncle suspicious."
Chu Yuxuan took a deep breath and said impatiently, "When will you get to Xuanwu Gate?"
Chu Zhqing responded with surprise, "Why do you sound a bit off? Afraid Nannan might be jealous? Haha… Son, hang in there, I…"
Chu Yuxuan hung up the phone and called his righteous police sister.
He had thought long and hard about it last night. Jiangcheng was so big, and the case was ten years old. Relying on just one tattoo to find the person was like searching for a needle in a haystack, so he decided to ask Chu Zhqing and Chu Muchan for help.
"Hello?" Chu Muchan, likely still asleep, answered with a nasal voice, "What's up?"
Chu Yuxuan got straight to the point, "I have a lead for you…."
After hearing it, Chu Muchan was fully awake, "You want me to help you find someone? Hmph… Chu Yuxuan, I'll find the person, but I won't give them to you!"
"Whatever," Chu Yuxuan laughed, "Just a reminder, check your system for any past criminal records to see if there are any matching candidates."
"Don't teach me how to do my job. I know what to do."
Chu Yuxuan teased, "At thirty and still unmarried, you really need to reflect on yourself."
"Are you trying to come to the police station for tea again?"
"Bye…"
Hanging up, Chu Yuxuan took a sip of his tea and noticed Third Brother hadn't come out yet. After thinking for a while, he went to Third Brother's room. The big guy was lying on the bed, looking dejected. When Chu Yuxuan entered, he raised his neck and called out, "Big Brother."
"Hmm…" Chu Yuxuan patted his back and smiled, "Still upset?"
"No…"
"Are you angry at Fourth Brother or at me?"
"At neither…"
"You…" Chu Yuxuan lit a cigarette and handed one to Third Brother, "I know you're upset with me for not telling you about Xiao Qing's oddities earlier. Third Brother, you can't keep things to yourself. I was afraid that if you knew, your attitude towards Xiao Qing would change drastically, and she might notice."
Third Brother was taken aback but then nodded, "I understand, Big Brother. I'm just too dumb…"
"Who says you're dumb?" Chu Yuxuan smiled and then changed the subject, "Do you like Xiao Ji?"
"I… I don't!" Third Brother scratched his head, "I really don't!"
Chu Yuxuan laughed more, "Don't rush it. Take your time. When the opportunity arises, I'll talk to you."
Third Brother blushed and grinned happily.
"Alright, get some more sleep. You worked hard yesterday. I'll go pick up your sister-in-law today."
When Chu Yuxuan arrived at Zhao Yanan's underground garage, it was only 7:30.
He leisurely went upstairs, watered the plants, adjusted his hairstyle, and around 8:00, he heard the sound of a door opening from the opposite side.
"Creak…"
The young master opened the door with a beaming smile, "Oh? Nannan, what a coincidence."
Zhao Yanan stood at the elevator entrance, giving him a sideways glance and coldly replied, "I heard you just came back."
Chu Yuxuan shamelessly asked, "Are you touched?"
Zhao Yanan pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Chu Yuxuan continued, "Aren't you going to ask if I was out fooling around again?"
"Why should I care?" Zhao Yanan rolled her eyes, "You do your thing, if Grandpa blames me, it's fine."
Chu Yuxuan grumbled, "The main house is really magnanimous…"
"Ding…"
The elevator doors opened, and the couple stepped in one after the other.
"Nannan, how about having a meal together sometime? Even if we're a fake couple, we should at least look like one, just for Grandpa's sake."
Zhao Yanan tilted her lips and suddenly realized something, "Chu Yuxuan, you moved here to make Grandpa think we're living together?"
Chu Yuxuan had indeed had that thought when he moved in. He raised his eyebrows and said, "A woman who is too smart isn't a good thing."
Zhao Yanan felt a bit embarrassed, started to say "thank you," but the elevator suddenly jolted!
Immediately, the lights in the elevator flickered twice and then went out. At the same time, the elevator dropped slightly and then stopped. Zhao Yanan held onto the elevator wall, her bag having fallen to the floor from the jolt. Her heart skipped a beat, "Is it malfunctioning?"
In the pitch-dark elevator, she couldn't see Chu Yuxuan at all. She heard a "thud," probably because the man had lost his balance and bumped into something, but there was no response from him.
"Chu Yuxuan?"
"Chu Yuxuan?"
"Stop messing around, get your phone out, and help me find my bag."
After a long silence, Zhao Yanan had to squat down and cautiously search for her bag on the floor. Suddenly, she faintly heard a rustling sound, like… a trembling breath.
"Chu Yuxuan?" Zhao Yanan, a bit scared, said, "Don't scare me, this isn't funny!"
But the sound grew louder and more intense!
Zhao Yanan, a fan of horror films, couldn't help but think of the elevator ghost scenes from various horror movies. After swallowing hard, she fought her fear and finally found her bag.
With the space being confined and her fear increasing, the beautiful CEO's forehead was now covered in a thin layer of sweat. Hearing the trembling breaths in the corner, her hands also started to shake uncontrollably. It took her a while to get her phone out and quickly turned on the flashlight, instinctively shining it around—
She then saw Chu Yuxuan huddled in the corner of the elevator, his arms tightly wrapped around himself, trembling violently as if he had seen a ghost! Zhao Yanan was startled and instinctively took a step back, "Chu… Chu Yuxuan! What… what's wrong with you?"
The light from her phone illuminated Chu Yuxuan's face. His usual nonchalant, handsome face was now filled with terror. His eyes were bloodshot, his nose, temples, and forehead were covered in a layer of cold sweat!
"Chu… Chu Yuxuan! Don't scare me!" Zhao Yanan's mind went blank, and she was at a loss for what to do.
Chu Yuxuan trembled even more violently, as if possessed by a ghost. He muttered incoherently, and Zhao Yanan could only make out a few words: "King… is… soil…"
"King… is… master."
"Chu Yuxuan…" Zhao Yanan, shivering, called out again. The sudden change left her in a panic, forgetting to press the elevator's emergency button.
Chu Yuxuan desperately tried to burrow deeper into the corner, as if an unseen, terrifying entity was closing in on him. His face had turned as white as paper, his collar was soaked with sweat, and he continued to mumble those strange words, "I beg you… King… is soldier… is worker… I'm wrong… I beg you!"