Shen Luolun leaned close to his bestie's ear and conspired loudly:
"I see that this one is cunning and treacherous. She may turn against us. We should kill her now!"
Having just told the truth, Yinyue was feeling somewhat smug, with the subtle mindset of a victor. When she heard this, she couldn't help gritting her teeth.
What was this bastard doing?!
He was actually trying to get Lan Yan to kill her.
Damn it, just how much did he dislike her?
If she got a chance to escape, she would definitely...
Shen Luolun suddenly shivered and rubbed his arms. He looked around and asked in confusion:
"I wore underwear today, so why do I still feel a chill?"
Lan Yan pushed his face away and said with disgust:
"Don't talk so loudly in my ear. You're really noisy."
Didn't he know to keep his distance when talking loudly? He'd gotten so close that her ears were ringing, and he'd gotten spit on her face too. How annoying.
Shen Luolun: It's fading, it's fading. The bond between bros is fading.
"Say that in plain English."
"Ahem, I think she's got a very, very bad conscience and a very, very bad habit of slipping up. She's definitely still hiding something, so give her another thorough interrogation."
A flicker of panic flashed in Yinyue's eyes, but she quickly concealed it.
As it happened, the observant Lan Yan noticed the change.
Without showing any reaction, she said calmly:
"Yinyue, is there anything else you want to say?"
She placed slight emphasis on the word "want."
Yinyue instinctively avoided Lan Yan's gaze and said:
"I... I don't have anything I want to say."
"Really?"
"...Really."
The flaw was too obvious. One look was enough to tell something was wrong.
"All right."
Lan Yan nodded and asked no more.
She turned and tossed the rope to Shen Luolun.
"Keep an eye on her for now. A fair bit of time has passed, so let's go see how things are going with the Traveler first."
"Huh? Me?" Shen Luolun pointed at himself, unable to believe it.
"Who else?"
Seeing that he was actually a little hesitant, Lan Yan gave a soft snort.
"Then shall I take it back?"
"No."
Shen Luolun hugged the rope to his chest, guarding it like a mother protecting her young, afraid that Lan Yan would snatch it away.
"Let me make this clear: it's only temporary. Don't let your mind go to strange places and cause some kind of accident." After some thought, Lan Yan decided to warn him in advance so he wouldn't push Yinyue too far.
"OK, OK."
Shen Luolun was beaming with joy. He didn't care about any of that and readily agreed to everything.
Yinyue's face went pale.
She had actually fallen into this beast's hands.
Would he let her have a moment's peace later?
"Su Qing, don't worry."
Lan Yan looked at Su Qing and said:
"Since we know where they are and have Yinyue as a hostage, we don't need to worry about the Treasure Hoarders harming them. Our priority now is to check on the Traveler and see whether the beef noodle problem has been resolved. This concerns all the residents of Yilong Wharf, so more is at stake. I hope you understand."
"Don't worry. Once the problem is resolved, we'll go rescue them with the Traveler."
Su Qing nodded gratefully, then dropped to one knee:
"Thank you for saving my life, Miss Lan. I, Su Qing, will never forget it!"
"If you ever need anything, Miss Lan, just say the word. I, Su Qing, will do whatever I can!"
"There's no need to be so polite. Please get up."
Lan Yan made a gesture to help him up.
"Upholding justice and helping others is what people like us aspire to do. We don't seek any reward."
"Once you're all free, find another job or somewhere else to live and make a good life for yourselves."
Su Qing took the cue to rise and gave a bitter smile.
"Miss Lan, my crew have suffered. They deserve a good life, but I'm different."
"I killed someone. Even if the boss brought it on himself, he was still a living person. Only the law can pass judgment on that. Once this is over, I'll turn myself in to the Millelith and confess to my crime."
"I may not be able to repay you for the time being. I'm sorry."
"How hidebound!"
Yinyue couldn't help scoffing.
She hated this kind of fool most of all, someone who followed the rules and trapped himself.
"You could easily pin the blame on the Treasure Hoarders. They have so many murders to their name that one more won't matter. Do you really have to go to prison to satisfy your sense of morality?"
"Only the people here know what happened. If no one's going to talk, what are you afraid of?"
No one was going to talk?
Su Qing was stunned for a moment.
Shen Luolun suddenly yawned, looking a little impatient.
"What murder? Who killed anyone?"
"Huh? Why is there a corpse on the ground? Sheesh~ Who was cruel enough to rip his heart out?!"
"Damn it, it must have been the inherently evil Treasure Hoarders, murdering him for his money. Poor man. And here's the boss's outstanding employee, covered in blood from desperately trying to save him. Sadly, his efforts failed and the boss died. He was so heartbroken that he nearly killed himself, but luckily we saved him."
Lan Yan likewise sighed with compassion.
"Yes, I suppose that's a blessing in this tragedy. Mr. Su Qing, please live well from now on. You mustn't let down the expectations the boss had for you in his final moments. You employees staying alive is the greatest way to repay him."
They had even made up an explanation for him.
For a moment, Su Qing didn't know what to say.
"Miss Lan, Young Master Shen, this..."
"Come on, let's go see how Lumine and Xiangling are doing," Shen Luolun urged.
Lan Yan said, "Mr. Su Qing, sorry for the trouble, but please stay here and 'look after your boss.' An unclaimed corpse would cause panic among the public."
"Once this is over, we'll have the Millelith come and deal with it."
Seeing that Su Qing was still standing there in a daze, Yinyue simply said:
"They've already given you a way out. Do you really want to go to prison for an animal like him? Are you stupid?"
She had laid it out in a single sentence.
No matter how slow Su Qing was, he understood now.
A complicated look flashed in his eyes, then gave way to resolve. He bowed in thanks and said:
"Thank you, Miss Lan, Young Master Shen. I'll take good 'care' of the boss and see him through his final journey in peace."
Su Qing had simply been honest and law-abiding for so long, and held the law in such reverence deep down, that he had taken the blame upon himself to put his conscience at ease. That didn't mean he couldn't be flexible.
Just as Yinyue had said, Lan Yan and Shen Luolun had already given him a foolproof way out. If he still couldn't take the hint, he really would deserve to go to prison.
Besides, going to prison for that animal really wasn't worth it.
Had it been any normal person instead, Su Qing wouldn't have chosen to evade responsibility.
"All right, wait here for word from us."
Shen Luolun tightened his grip on the rope and pulled a certain stubborn criminal over:
"Come on, move!"
"What are you glaring at? You're my prisoner now. Do you understand what a prisoner is? Keep it up and I'll ride on your back and make you crawl!"
Yinyue: Enduring humiliation.
"Go work!"
"Go work!"
The whip cracked.
(Ronava's storyline needs groundwork. You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, especially Junior Varesa's hot tofu. Ehe.)
(Writing Junior Varesa now would disrupt my outline. But don't worry, she'll appear soon.)
(It's just that my updates are inconsistent. After all, I don't make money writing novels, and I have a real-life job too. I'll try to update once a day, and twice a day on my days off. That's why the plot seems to be moving so slowly and you've been waiting so long for Junior Varesa to appear. Sorry.)
(I've also received a lot of bad reviews lately. I look through them when I have time, and I do take readers' suggestions seriously. But, well, they're all from people who've read for less than 30 minutes. Sigh, I'm a little disappointed. Whether you liked it or not, could you read for at least 30 minutes before posting a review? That way I can get a little more ad revenue. Thanks, orz.)