SES Chapter 160 Part 1

Chapter 160 — Epilogue

They didn’t make it back in time. After getting 13’s arm put in a cast at the town clinic, they found a place to stay for the night. With so much still left to deal with, none of them had any intention of sleeping—so they only booked one room.

With Qingshan and Yafeng added in, there were seven people in total. Packed tight. Turning around in the room felt like bumping into someone.

Separated from the murderous bamboo slip, Qingshan looked blank, almost simpleminded. Cao Yenhua hovered beside him, lecturing, full big-brother mode, punctuating his sentences by smacking Qingshan on the back of the head.

“Do you even know what you’ve been doing? What’s the deal between you and this woman?”

Yafeng was still tied up. Unlike Qingshan, she stayed silent the whole time—cold, mocking smiles and nothing more. That was exactly why Luo Ren refused to untie her. His instincts told him: the moment this woman was free, she’d be trouble.

Qingshan took another smack from Cao Yenhua, drooped his head, glanced at Yafeng, and mumbled, “Big Dun, don’t tie her up. Yafeng’s not a bad person.”

What kind of stance was that? Cao Yenhua nearly exploded. He slapped Qingshan again. “What the hell did she make you do?”

Thirteen lounged on the sofa, his newly cast arm propped up like a banner of honor. “Big Dun, quit interrogating him. Your cousin’s basically just a puppet. The key is this woman.”

Cao Yenhua agreed wholeheartedly—until something struck him. Wait. What did Thirteen just call him? Big Dun? He didn’t hear that wrong, did he?

Luo Ren, standing off to the side, poured water from a bag into a basin. “This woman’s mouth won’t open easily,” he said.

Almost as if to agree, Yafeng gave a soft, mocking laugh.

Luo Ren’s expression chilled. He tossed the empty water bag aside and strode over, gripping Yafeng by the collar and hauling her up. “But don’t worry. I have plenty of ways to make you talk.”

Yafeng replied through clenched teeth, “I’m not saying anything.”

Luo Ren smiled. “These days, there are plenty of methods for getting the truth. Torture isn’t even necessary.”

He leaned in close to her ear, lowering his voice. “Truth serum. Hypnosis. However much product you’re carrying, I’ll pay for all of it.”

Yafeng’s pupils contracted sharply. Luo Ren gave a cold laugh and threw her back onto the sofa.

Qingshan yelled, “What are you doing? What are you trying to do? You can’t treat Yafeng like that—!”

Cao Yenhua had finally had enough. He shoved Qingshan back onto the sofa and tied him up too. To keep him from shouting, he slapped duct tape over his mouth.

Luo Ren frowned.

This was a first—once the murderous bamboo slip left them, Yafeng remained hostile, but Qingshan suddenly acted brainwashed, fiercely protecting her.

What in the world caused that?

Meanwhile, Mu Dai and Yan Hongsand were in the bathroom washing clothes. The sink was too small, so each of them crouched over a separate basin, washing the wet clothes Luo Ren and Thirteen had changed out of.

With the fifth bamboo slip almost settled, Yan Hongsand finally felt a little less stressed. She scrubbed vigorously, bubbles flying everywhere.

Suddenly, something occurred to her. She nudged Mu Dai with an elbow. “Hey.”

“Mm?”

“You and Luo Ren were in that cave for days.”

“Mm.”

“Nothing happened?”

Mu Dai’s heart skipped. “No.”

She ducked her head and kept scrubbing. Yan Hongsand, thoughtful, started muttering to herself.

“That doesn’t make sense… A man and a woman alone for days, no one else around… How could something not… Huh!”

She gasped dramatically and leaned in, whispering conspiratorially. “Mu Dai—Is Luo Ren… you know… not okay?”

Mu Dai nearly choked. “What do you mean by ‘not okay’?”

“There has to be something wrong! I’m telling you, men think with the lower half of their bodies. He had such a golden opportunity and didn’t take it. Something’s off!”

Yan Hongsand grew more worried by the second. “Mu Dai, listen, romance novels say it all the time—tall, strong, handsome men aren’t always proportional… down there…”

The more she rambled, the more absurd it got. Mu Dai side-eyed her. “What exactly are you implying?”

Yan Hongsand said solemnly, “We’re adults. It’s a new era—we have to confront these issues. I like Luo Ren too, but if he’s… dysfunctional, I really can’t recommend you stay with him—”

She was hitting her stride when she suddenly noticed Mu Dai’s eyes drifting downward.

What was she looking at? Yan Hongsand lowered her gaze—and saw a shadow cast across the floor.

Her back was to the door. At that moment, cold sweat broke out down her spine. She whispered, “Who is it?”

“See for yourself.”

Yan Hongsand whispered desperately, “Tell me it’s not Luo Ren.”

Mu Dai calmly scrubbed clothes. “I’m terrible at lying.”

Over. Absolutely over. Yan Hongsand felt her heart shatter.

Luo Ren’s hand landed on her shoulder. “Come on, Hongsand. Let’s step outside and talk.”

Yan Hongsand turned around like she was facing a firing squad. She forced a dry laugh. “I’m… busy.”

Luo Ren smiled back—then his expression flipped. He wrapped one arm around her waist, lifted her clean off the ground, and carried her out. Yan Hongsand screamed, “Assault! Mu Dai—your boyfriend is assaulting me! Aren’t you going to say something?!”

Mu Dai looked up, wiped foam from her hair, and said calmly, “I strongly oppose Luo Ren’s use of brute force.”

Then she bowed her head again and resumed scrubbing clothes like a mountain. Outside, Yan Hongsand shrieked like a dying ghost, and Thirteen asked, “What’s the racket—Hey! Red Flame No. 2, don’t grab my leg! Let go!”