SES Chapter 179 Part 1

Chapter 179

Breakfast time.

After being locked up all night, Cao Jiefang was finally let out for a walk. His mood was excellent as he trotted around under the half-lowered door, darting in and out. Cao Yanhua followed behind him, pinching off bits of a steamed bun and tossing them to the ground now and then. “Jiefang, eat the bun. Come on, eat.”

Cao Jiefang barely paid him any attention, which made Cao Yanhua feel deeply dejected. Raising a pet was really just like raising a baby—the early stage of emotional bonding was crucial. And yet, that most important and pure bond had been stolen away by Yan Hongsand and Wan San.

Huo Zihong was the last to come downstairs. As she took her seat, she noticed Qingmu sitting alone in a far corner and asked Uncle Zhang, “Shouldn’t we invite him to eat with us? He seems to be Luo Ren’s friend.”

Uncle Zhang shot Qingmu a sideways glance and said nothing.

To be honest, he had wanted to invite him. He understood basic courtesy. Luo Ren and Mu Dai’s relationship was stable, and since Qingmu was Luo Ren’s friend, he was practically half family. Uncle Zhang wouldn’t begrudge him a meal.

What annoyed him was Qingmu’s stiff, icy demeanor—never greeting anyone, acting like the world owed him money. Nobody was asking him for anything, so why should they warm their faces just to be snubbed by his cold backside?

Having worked together for years, Huo Zihong more or less understood Uncle Zhang’s thoughts. She smiled and quietly instructed Yan Hongsand, “Hongsand, why don’t you take a serving over to him? Whether he eats it or not doesn’t matter—at least we’ve shown our goodwill.”

Without a word, Yan Hongsand set down her chopsticks, stood up, took an empty bowl, and ladled porridge into it.

Huo Zihong then remembered something else. “I called Mu Dai last night, but the girl didn’t pick up. I don’t know how Old Madam Mei is doing. She’s been very devoted to teaching Mu Dai—if things really go badly this time, we should help however we can.”

Wan San and Yan Hongsand didn’t dare say a word. Only Uncle Zhang responded, “That’s true. Come to think of it, the young madam is basically her final disciple.”

As they spoke, Cao Jiefang came bounding in and scampered over to Wan San’s feet. Wan San bent down and fed him a piece of a bun. Cao Jiefang swallowed eagerly and finished it in no time. Cao Yanhua saw this and felt a wave of heartache.

All the bun pieces he’d scattered—Cao Jiefang hadn’t touched a single one. Why would he eat Wan San’s but not his? What, did Brother San’s bun taste sweeter? You ungrateful little beast—who was it that saved you from the meat seller in the first place?

Yan Hongsand filled a bowl with porridge and placed two buns on a plate. As she carried it over, she hesitated a little. Qingmu wasn’t exactly friendly—how should she even start?

Qingmu saw her coming and frowned slightly, a hint of irritation crossing his face at the interruption. Just then, Luo Ren’s voice suddenly came from outside: “Qingmu!”

Qingmu immediately stood up, brushed past Yan Hongsand, and strode toward Luo Ren. The external metal frame on his leg creaked with each step.

Yan Hongsand stood there holding the bowl and plate, unsure whether to set them down or not. A thought suddenly popped into her mind: how had his leg been injured, anyway?

Luo Ren asked Qingmu, “Back then, when I fought Leopard, I injured her eye. She fell from the building. I leaned out to check on her and got shot, and you pulled me out. During all that, did you notice how badly Leopard was hurt?”

Qingmu didn’t quite see his point. “Does it matter? Her injuries healed, and she’s already entered the country.”

“It matters,” Luo Ren said. “With your experience, injuries from a fall like that—should she have been able to stand up again?”

Qingmu fell silent for a moment. “Logically speaking, she shouldn’t have been able to.”

He knew Luo Ren’s speed and power in combat as well as his own. Back then, Luo Ren had been blinded by rage, determined to avenge Tasha and their fallen brothers. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that one punch could dent a steel plate.

That thrown knife had gone in almost to the hilt. Leopard’s injury wasn’t just to her eye—in Qingmu’s opinion, the blade had pierced her brain.

Then, Leopard had fallen from the rooftop. While providing suppressing fire from the side, Qingmu had seen that she’d fallen almost flat on her back. From that height, the odds of a shattered lumbar spine were extremely high.

So it was no wonder Luo Ren had always believed Leopard was dead. But alive or dead, there should have been proof. After Leopard was taken away by her subordinates, there was no news of her death, and she vanished completely. That was why he had insisted on tracking down a definitive answer.

Qingmu gave Luo Ren a firm conclusion. “She shouldn’t have been able to stand. The fact that she can now—can only be explained as heaven being unusually kind to her.”

Luo Ren said, “The one being kind to her might not be heaven.”

Qingmu didn’t quite understand. Luo Ren changed the subject. “I asked domestic agencies to investigate Leopard, but the information was limited. You’ve been watching her longer—what else have you found?”

His tone sharpened. “Anything at all. No matter how trivial. As long as it’s about her—or her family—I need to know.”

Did Leopard have a family? Qingmu thought carefully.

It seemed she did. Supposedly an elder—her great-grandfather—nearly a hundred years old, living on Sama Island near Medan. Truly in his twilight years, just barely hanging on, waiting to die.

“Many of her family members were killed years ago in gang retaliation. The only one left is this old man, who rarely goes out because of his age. Supposedly, his mind isn’t clear anymore. According to his caregivers, he spends all day repeating one thing—he wants to go home.”

“Go home?”

“Yeah.” Qingmu shrugged. “His home is on Sama Island. He’s already living at home, so what home does he want to go back to?”

“Is he still alive? Can you find a recent photo of him?”

Qingmu shook his head. “After Leopard disappeared, he vanished too. I guess that Leopard had too many enemies. Her confidants were afraid someone would take the chance to wipe them out, so they hid her family as well—just like you hid Pingting because you were afraid of implicating her.”

“Can you still contact the caregiver?”

Yes—the caregiver could still be reached. After being dismissed by Leopard’s family, she was now working at a hospital in Manila.

Luo Ren asked Qingmu to arrange a video call with her.

They made the call at home. The bedroom was still in the same mess from Luo Ren’s outburst the night before. As Luo Ren dialed online, Qingmu cast a meaningful glance at the knife embedded in the wall, then reached out to pull it free.

It took two tries. He scraped the blade a couple of times against the metal frame on his leg, slid it back into its sheath, and handed it to Luo Ren. “Luo, you were very angry.”

Luo Ren gave a low “Mm,” tapped “Request Call,” and waited.