SES Chapter 181 Part 1

Chapter 181

Zheng Mingshan arrived near dusk. He didn’t go to Jusan Suiyuan, nor did he look for Luo Ren in person—he simply called him.

The first thing he said was, “I’m sure no one was tailing me. Even if there was, I shook them off. I think it’s better if I stay in the shadows.”

This was a tactical choice. It was always better to keep some cards hidden, rather than lay all your strength out in the open.

Luo Ren replied, “That’s fine. I’m also sure my phone isn’t tapped. At least for now, this call is safe.”

After that exchange, there was a brief silence. Then Zheng Mingshan asked, “My junior sister… she won’t be in danger in the next day or two, will she?”

Who could guarantee that? Luo Ren said nothing.

When Zheng Mingshan got no answer, he let out two cold laughs and hung up.

Luo Ren, however, stood frozen for a long time.

This was a question he didn’t dare think about too deeply. Leopard’s cruelty was obvious from what she’d done to Tasha. But from another angle, Leopard had come this time with ferocity and preparation. For the sake of revenge—if not outright enduring hardship in silence—she must have made countless plans. Mu Dai was a trump card in her hand; she wouldn’t burn that card too quickly.

That night, Luo Ren went to find Aoki. The two of them took some alcohol and sat in the courtyard. As soon as Luo Ren started down that line of thought, Aoki immediately cut him off.

“Luo, you really shouldn’t be thinking about your girlfriend’s situation right now. There’s nothing you can do. The more you think about it, the more chaotic it gets. You’re better off pulling yourself out of it and focusing on setting up defenses.”

Luo Ren forced a smile. “How could I not think about it?”

Leopard was in the dark; he was in the open. If Leopard didn’t move, he couldn’t get any information. It was the most helpless position imaginable—strength to spare and the will to fight to the death, yet all he could do was wait.

Aoki watched him for a while, then suddenly said, “Luo, you should go see Pingtin.”

Luo Ren was surprised. “Isn’t Pingtin doing okay?”

Pingtin and Uncle Zheng lived right next door to his residence. Presumably on Aoki’s instructions, they’d kept a low profile—quiet, almost as if they didn’t exist.

Aoki snorted. “It’s not that she’s not okay—she’s very okay. I heard she’d had an incident before and suffered a mental breakdown. But when I brought her out from Dr. He’s care, she’d already recovered quite a bit. She could communicate with me normally.”

“Luo, Pingtin really wants to see you—but you haven’t gone to see her.”

Luo Ren said, “She’s hidden well right now. If I go looking for her, it might expose her instead. We’ll talk about it after this is over.”

Aoki leaned back, hands behind his head, staring up at the sky. The lights inside and outside the bar were too bright for starlight to get through; the sky looked like nothing but a dark mass.

He sighed. “Back in the Philippines, you used to talk about Pingtin all the time. I thought you’d end up with her sooner or later. Just like I thought… I’d end up with Yukiko.”

Luo Ren patted his shoulder. “It’s not too late. When you go back to Japan, go win Yukiko back.”

As they spoke, Cao Jiefang strolled lazily around them in a circle, then wandered slowly back into the bar.

The bar was much livelier than the courtyard. In just a day or two, Cao Jiefang had become familiar with both old and new patrons, coexisting with them peacefully. He wandered calmly from table to table like a supervisor on inspection. His handsome pheasant looks earned him plenty of goodwill—some customers even pulled him over for selfies.

When he reached the bar counter, Cao Jiefang stopped.

Wan San was mixing drinks. Halfway through, he sensed something off, looked up—and met Cao Jiefang’s beady, unblinking stare.

This wasn’t the first time. Wan San felt uncomfortable and frowned, calling out to Yan Hongsha, who was standing listlessly nearby waiting for orders. “Er Huo, Cao Jiefang’s been weird these past few days. Why does he keep staring at me?”

Yan Hongsha had been extremely worried about Mu Dai lately, with no news at all. She was restless, like an ant trapped in a loop, uninterested in everything. Annoyed, she snapped back, “Maybe he’s fallen in love with you.”

Cao Yanhua, standing nearby, felt jealous. His own chicken didn’t even cling to him—and now it kept staring at Brother San. What was there to look at? Did chickens even see humans differently?

He said sourly, “You’re overthinking it. The way our Jiefang looks at you doesn’t seem affectionate at all.”

Surprisingly, Wan San agreed. “Exactly. Don’t think he doesn’t understands things. The way he looks at me—it’s like I did something to wrong him.”

Had he eaten chicken lately? No. Even if he had, he hadn’t done it in front of Cao Jiefang.

Yan Hongsha shot him a sideways look. “Did you promise Jiefang something and then not follow through?”

Did he? Wan San suddenly remembered.

That day, when he’d coaxed Cao Jiefang into his cage, what had he said again?

—Jiefang, be good and go in. Tomorrow I’ll go into town and buy you a name tag—the kind you hang around the neck. Only really pampered pets get those. Think about it—within ten miles, can you find another chicken wearing a tag? That’s the kind of glory your ancestors couldn’t earn in eight lifetimes.

Wan San sucked in a sharp breath. Was he hung up on that? Hard to tell—Cao Jiefang was surprisingly vain.

There were plenty of shops nearby that engraved small accessories. Wan San set down his work. “Alright, I’ll go buy Jiefang a tag.”

Cao Jiefang instantly perked up and trotted after Wan San. Cao Yanhua wasn’t having it—my chicken, why should you buy him a tag? If anyone’s buying it, it should be me!

So Cao Jiefang followed Wan San, and Cao Yanhua followed Cao Jiefang. The two men and one chicken practically formed a line as they passed in front of Luo Ren and Aoki.

Aoki let out a derisive snort.

He’d never thought much of Luo Ren’s group of friends.

About twenty minutes later, they came back. Leading the way was an ecstatic Cao Jiefang, wings fluttering, tiny steps prancing like a dance. Luo Ren found it amusing and reached out to stop him.

“Let me see.”

Sure enough, two tags hung around Cao Jiefang’s neck.

Luo Ren laughed. “That’s a bit much jewelry.”

Holding them up to the bar’s light, he read the first tag. It was engraved with four characters: “A Good Chicken.” Below, in smaller text: “Gifted by Wan San.”

Suppressing a smile, he looked at the second tag. This one was blunt and direct: “Cao Yanhua’s Chicken.”

Luo Ren waved his hand. “Alright, go on.”

Cao Jiefang, eager to show off his gifts to Yan Hongsha, flapped his wings and kicked his legs—then suddenly stumbled.

Luo Ren shot out a hand and grabbed one of his legs, nearly flipping him over.

Wan San and Cao Yanhua rushed over, confused. Cao Yanhua asked, “Brother Luo, what’s wrong?”

Luo Ren’s expression had changed. “Who put this on Cao Jiefang?”

Following his gaze, Cao Yanhua froze.

Wrapped around Cao Jiefang’s leg with tape was a gray USB flash drive—the most common kind you’d see in any electronics shop. Plain color, easy to miss, especially since Cao Jiefang never stopped moving. If you weren’t paying close attention, you really wouldn’t notice it.

Who had put it there? Cao Yanhua couldn’t answer. On the way back, there’d been crowds everywhere. Some tourists had found a pheasant running around adorable and stopped to take photos. With all the jostling, there was no way to remember.

Aoki reached out and carefully removed the USB drive. He flipped open the cap, glanced at the connector, then looked at Luo Ren and hesitantly asked, “Leopard?”

It had to be Leopard. No one else would play games like this. And anything she sent was almost certainly related to Mu Dai.

Luo Ren didn’t dare look. For a brief moment, countless horrible images flashed through his mind.

Aoki understood. “I’ll watch it first.”

At least they needed to know what it was. If it was something Luo Ren couldn’t handle, Aoki could shield him from it.

He stood up to go inside, but Luo Ren grabbed him.

Aoki looked at him. “What do you think?”

“I’ll do it myself,” Luo Ren said.

Aoki paused, then handed him the USB drive.