Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Jealous

No matter how much Chang Jia complained, for the sake of that chili sauce, he ultimately agreed to help.

“Alright, what’s the plan?”

At Chang Jia’s question, Lu Xiao spoke in a cold voice, “Hu Lili is at Hu Jianjun’s house.”

“Huh? Wasn’t she kicked out?”

Their Northwest region was remote and not particularly populous. Unless someone committed a major offense, they would never be driven out.

If Hu Lili hadn’t gone too far, things wouldn’t have reached this point.

“Su Tang told me. She said she saw Hu Lili and suspects that the person who reported her wasn’t Hu Jianjun, but Hu Lili.”

Lu Xiao trusted Su Tang’s words one hundred percent. Su Tang simply wasn’t the type of person to lie.

So, the moment Su Tang said Hu Lili had returned to the family compound, Lu Xiao knew that Hu Lili was the one who had started this whole mess.

“For Hu Jianjun to dare hide Hu Lili like this… he’s got some real nerve.”

Chang Jia shrugged as he said this.

If he were discovered, Hu Jianjun would be kicked out too.

Lu Xiao and Chang Jia wasted no more time, creeping toward Hu Jianjun’s house under the cover of darkness.

Chang Jia deliberately made some noise, then yelled at the top of his lungs, “Hu! Hu Jianjun! Open up! It’s urgent!”

There was a RUSTLING sound from inside, and it took a while before a light finally came on.

Hu Jianjun, wrapped in an old jacket, opened the door with a sleepy, groggy look on his face, his tone a bit impatient.

“Captain Chang? Captain Lu? What’s going on in the middle of the night?”

Lu Xiao didn’t speak, but his eyes swept over the inside of the house.

It was pitch-black inside, with only the dim light from behind Hu Jianjun.

Sensing Lu Xiao’s strange gaze, Hu Jianjun subconsciously shifted a little to the side.

Chang Jia chuckled. “Hah, don’t even ask. The regiment is holding an emergency training drill for the families. I’m here to let you know. Five a.m. tomorrow, assemble on the training grounds. Don’t be late.”

Hearing this, Hu Jianjun was stunned. “An emergency drill? I didn’t get any notice…”

’How come I don’t know anything about an emergency drill?’

’Could it be…’ Hu Jianjun’s heart tightened. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off about Lu Xiao’s gaze.

“The order just came down! I’m running this errand without even getting any sleep!”

Chang Jia pretended to be exhausted, raising a hand to rub his head, but his gaze remained unabashedly direct.

Hu Jianjun instinctively tried to block Chang Jia’s line of sight, his movement a little unnatural.

Just then, Lu Xiao’s sharp eyes caught a slight movement from the inner room’s door curtain, as if a figure had quickly ducked back.

He remained outwardly calm, but his eyes grew even colder.

Chang Jia saw it too and knew what was up. He took a deliberate, loud sniff.

“Hey? Hu, your place… smells kind of fragrant, doesn’t it? Not a scent you’d expect on a rough guy like you. Is that soap?”

The gazes of the two men at the door were like knives, causing Hu Jianjun’s face to pale instantly. He quickly waved his hands.

“N-No! Captain Chang, you must be smelling things! I’m a crude old fellow, where would a fragrance come from? I… I just washed my face!”

Lu Xiao finally spoke. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable pressure. “Hu Jianjun, are you sure there’s no one else in the house?”

Lu Xiao’s stare made Hu Jianjun’s scalp tingle and his back break out in a cold sweat. He forced himself to say, “I’m sure. It’s really just me!”

“Fine.”

Lu Xiao nodded, didn’t say another word, and turned to leave.

Chang Jia hurried to catch up, patting Hu Jianjun’s shoulder on his way out. “Remember, five a.m. tomorrow! Don’t be late!”

After walking a dozen or so meters and turning a corner, Chang Jia immediately lowered his voice. “Damn it, there’s definitely something wrong! Someone was definitely hiding behind that curtain!”

“And that fragrance! A coarse guy like Hu Jianjun smelling like that? Who is he kidding? Su Tang was right. Hu Lili is definitely hiding at his place.”

Lu Xiao didn’t break his stride, his eyes exceptionally sharp under the moonlight, like a hawk locking onto its prey.

“Hu Jianjun lied.”

His voice was deep, laced with a faint, hostile edge.

“During the ’drill’ tomorrow, you keep an eye on him. I’m going into town.”

“What for?”

Chang Jia asked, confused.

“To check who Hu Jianjun has been in contact with recently.”

Lu Xiao’s voice was as cold as ice. “He couldn’t have gotten that poisonous weed on his own.”

“And while I’m at it, I’ll find out how Hu Lili got back.”

Chang Jia understood. They were going to follow the clues to dig up the entire root of the problem.

He looked at Lu Xiao’s tense profile and silently pitied the Hu siblings.

Of all the people to provoke, they had to pick this living King of Hell who was fiercely protective of his own.

It had been years since Lu Xiao had truly lost his temper.

“Alright, leave this to me.”

Chang Jia agreed, then couldn’t help but mutter, “I must have owed you in a past life, getting dragged out in the middle of the night to play scout…”

Lu Xiao ignored his complaints, his figure quickly melting into the night.

Early the next morning, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Chang Jia “escorted” a constantly yawning Hu Jianjun to the training grounds for the “emergency drill.”

Lu Xiao was just about to leave for town when there was a knock on his courtyard gate.

Standing outside was Doctor Wang, his face somewhat gaunt. The dark circles under his eyes made it clear he hadn’t slept well either.

He was carrying a mesh bag with a few apples inside.

“Captain Lu…”

Seeing Lu Xiao, Doctor Wang looked a little flustered, his gaze darting around before finally settling.

“I… I came to see Doctor Su… oh no, I mean, I wanted to ask about Doctor Su’s situation. And also… there’s something I need to say, but I’m not sure if I should.”

Lu Xiao let him into the courtyard. His gaze swept over the apples in the man’s hand, but he didn’t say anything, merely pointing to a stone bench in the yard.

“Sit. Su Tang is fine for now; she’s safe in the confinement room. If you have something to say, just say it.”

His tone was calm, but the scrutinizing look in his eyes made Doctor Wang feel pressured.

Doctor Wang didn’t sit. He placed the apples on the stone table and wrung his hands, looking nervous.

“Captain Lu, Doctor Su is a good person, really! She’s a great doctor with a kind heart. She’s helped me so much… She would never do something to harm others! She was definitely framed!”

He grew agitated as he spoke, his face flushing slightly.

Lu Xiao watched him with a calm expression, not responding, but gesturing for him to continue.

Doctor Wang took a deep breath and lowered his voice. “That day… the afternoon of the day Doctor Su had her incident on the night shift, I… I think I saw Hu Lili.”

Hearing this, Lu Xiao frowned slightly. “Where?”

“Right by the hospital’s back entrance, on the small path leading to the woods.”

“She was all bundled up, wearing a headscarf, acting all sneaky. She met up with a man who didn’t look like he was from our family compound. His face was unfamiliar, and the way he dressed was… a bit thuggish.”

“Did you get a clear look at his face? What did they say?”

Lu Xiao pressed, a hint of urgency unconsciously entering his tone.

Doctor Wang shook his head. “I was a bit too far away. I couldn’t see his face clearly, and I definitely couldn’t hear what they were saying.”

“It’s just… Hu Lili seemed to have stuffed something into the man’s hand. He weighed it for a moment before leaving. I was in a hurry to start my shift, so I didn’t think much of it… But now that I think about it, could it be…”

Doctor Wang’s face was full of regret and worry. “Captain Lu, if only I had realized something was wrong sooner. Doctor Su helped me so much, but I…”

Lu Xiao listened to Doctor Wang, his expression unreadable.

It seemed many people had seen Su Tang’s kindness and kept it in their hearts… including this fair-skinned, gentle doctor before him.

An extremely unfamiliar emotion churned in Lu Xiao’s chest—a stuffy, constricted feeling.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep