Chapter 74

Since her date with Pandora that day, Iris seemed to have been freed from her constraints. She stopped insisting on staying home and instead, while Zhuang Zhuoyuan was being severely reprimanded by Zhan Hantao, she joined their small team to continue their investigation of several legendary origin sites. Zhuang Zhuoyuan was initially worried, but he was overwhelmed and could only secretly inquire with Derek about the situation. He originally had a reliable informant, Zhang Zhanchao, but the latter had gone to Hengdian with the film crew a few days ago, temporarily becoming a lost cause.

When Derek is too lazy to reply, he replies with few words and slowly. Seeing that Zhuang Sir was obviously anxious and a little annoyed, Qiu Junxuan couldn't help but laugh. He comforted him, "Iris can protect herself, and Derek can protect her too."

“You wouldn’t understand…” Zhuang Zhuoyuan sighed softly, but then felt that it wasn’t good. He held his breath, feeling stuck. “My wife has been staying home lately writing fairy tales that she will read to Tangyuan in the future, and she’s even planning to translate them into three languages ​​herself. So if there’s nothing else going on, she definitely won’t be going out so often. Besides, her mind was clearly still on Du Tianyu the other day.”

"So you're worried she'll go to Du Tianyu?" Qiu Junxuan subconsciously speculated, then quickly denied it: "No, my sister-in-law shouldn't do that."

Zhuang Zhuoyuan also said, "She won't do that."

Their unanimous agreement drew a smile from the two men. Zhuang Zhuoyuan patted Qiu Junxuan on the shoulder, praising his judgment: "Your reaction time is so much faster now, you won't be afraid when you go to England for training."

Zhan Sir and A Yuan jointly recommended him to attend sniper training in the UK, and Qiu Junxuan had been excited ever since he heard the news. He smiled, still somewhat shy. The two arrived at the parking lot while talking, and this interruption brought their discussion about Iris to a close. Xuanzai had arranged to have dinner with his father and brothers, and Zhuang Zhuoyuan didn't want to disturb them, so he took out his car keys, ready to part ways. Edward's chip had been delivered, which put their minds at ease; now, with the phone's location tracking software, they felt somewhat secure. Zhuang Zhuoyuan turned back and reminded him, "Remember to come to the house later to 'go over the insurance.' The accompanying doctor will be home the whole time; you can come anytime when we go to the UK."

"Thank you." Actually, Qiu Junxuan didn't care much about whether or not the chip was implanted on him. He didn't completely dismiss Iris's guess, but he also didn't take it to heart. After all, even if the thief king and his wife were still alive, their most urgent task right now would be to escape. The possibility of revenge was really low…

“Don’t let your guard down,” Zhuang Zhuoyuan said, seemingly sensing his thoughts. He patted his shoulder. “No matter how tense you are, my wife won’t make any rash judgments. Besides, we can’t just put the tracking chip anywhere we want. It’s really not a good idea. Getting past Inspector Liang won’t be easy. Alright, you drive out first. I’ll watch you leave from behind for peace of mind.”

Whether Zhuang Zhuoyuan was being too hesitant would be revealed in the next moment. Qiu Junxuan never expected that Du Tianyu would actually be so crazy and ruthless. He had just opened the car door when he heard the sound of a hard object hitting from the right rear, followed by Zhuang Zhuoyuan's cry of pain. The latter reacted quickly and immediately began to wrestle with the attacker. However, Du Tianyu had gone all out from the start, and now his strength had only increased. Zhuang Zhuoyuan was no match for him.

"Ah Yuan!" Qiu Junxuan called out. In his dizzy state, Zhuang Zhuoyuan felt that the voice was sometimes near and sometimes far. Seeing Qiu Junxuan running towards them, he struggled and, taking advantage of Du Tianyu's distraction, pushed him against a pillar in the parking lot and then pinned him down.

The sounds of fighting coming from the other end of the phone completely panicked Iris. After calling out twice to no avail, she clutched her pounding heart and urged Derek to contact the bodyguards and Zhan Hantao who were staying behind. At the same time, she hurriedly searched for Pandora to say goodbye. The village was still some distance from the ferry terminal, so she had to ask someone in the village to take her and Derek to the dock by bicycle.

AK had arranged enough people around the couple, but due to Zhuang Zhuoyuan's profession, no one was assigned to protect him closely. Even in this critical moment, to avoid trouble, the nearest bodyguard was stationed a block away. It would take at least two or three minutes to get to the scene from there, and those two or three minutes were more than enough for the well-prepared Du Tianyu.

"How is A-Yuan?"

"He suffered an impact injury to the back of his head and a stab wound to his chest."

In fact, there were also scars on his neck, just like in Luo Yongfu's case. Du Tianyu initially wanted to make a cut on Zhuang Zhuoyuan's neck, but fortunately Qiu Junxuan helped, and the blade was deflected, leaving only a long and shallow line of blood. Iris felt heartbroken, her fingers gently stroking the gauze, her brows furrowed, and tears almost falling.

Suffering from a concussion, Zhuang Zhuoyuan felt dizzy and nauseous. Any movement aggravated the incision, causing a sharp pain in his chest. Unable to pull Iris into his arms, he gripped her hand tightly, saying, "Baby, I'm alright."

“…Tangyuan knows.” Having a little darling gives you another way to respond. Iris was annoyed, mostly for herself. Zhuang Zhuoyuan smiled, and as she pressed her cheek against his palm, his fingers moved slightly, slowly caressing her: “So, does Iris BB know?”

Her voice was gentle and melodious, gradually soothing his emotions. She stared at him for a while, then straightened up, turned to her side, and, supporting her stomach, lay down again, taking up a small space on Zhuang Zhuoyuan's hospital bed. She pressed her face against his and smiled, "I really look like a turtle now."

Logically speaking, the two Flying Tigers shouldn't have been at a disadvantage against Du Tianyu. Their defeat stemmed from a surprise attack that halved their fighting strength, followed by Qiu Junxuan's concern for the injured Zhuang Zhuoyuan, making him hesitant to act rashly. Ultimately, one ended up in the hospital, and the other was taken hostage.

However, Zhuang Zhuoyuan had reservations about Qiu Junxuan's kidnapping. In his view, at the last moment of the confrontation with Du Tianyu, they were not entirely without hope of victory, and Qiu Junxuan's decision to make such a choice might have been an attempt to find an opportunity to capture the thief couple in one fell swoop.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained?" Given Xuanzai's relentless drive, it wasn't impossible. Before she could finish speaking, Iris got out of bed. The comfort she'd received from her husband was enough. At this moment, she truly disliked the feeling of impending doom, as if someone had grabbed her by the neck, rendering her completely immobile. Once out of bed, she didn't intend to linger. The Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) and the SDU had their methods for finding people, and Iris had her own channels for gathering information. She grabbed her bag, signaling the three bodyguards to keep watch, then said to Zhuang Zhuoyuan, "I'll go find G-Force and get a list of black market doctors. Derek will handle the rest; you don't need to worry."

Yao Meiling was injured, so she definitely wouldn't dare to seek treatment at a proper hospital or clinic; it goes without saying where that person was. Judging from the failures of these previous arrest operations, the thieves still have a high chance of escaping this time. Du Tianyu injured Zhuang Zhuoyuan, so the previous "not interfering" and "not meddling" naturally became invalid. Iris was filled with resentment and only wanted to make sure they were badly injured, if not killed.

Zhuang Zhuoyuan was deeply worried about this: "Wife, don't be impulsive!"

“I’m not acting impulsively,” Iris manually muted his mic. “G-Force just gave me a list. I won’t let him investigate, so he won’t be in danger. I’ll just look at the list, make inferences and narrow down the search area based on the clues and information from the investigations. I won’t show myself, so I won’t be in danger either. As for the people who go out to investigate for me, AK’s men are all elites, and I’ll give them two million in funding. That should allow us to find out the whereabouts of Du Tianyu and his wife with minimal harm and as quickly as possible. After that, it’s up to your brothers.”

How could Zhuang Zhuoyuan be at ease? He gripped Iris's wrist tightly, unwilling to let her go despite the pain from her wound. If this matter was unavoidable, why not entrust it entirely to Derek? He thought it best for her to stay with him. Du Tianyu had chosen a knife as a weapon for convenience, but if pushed too far, he would definitely pull out a gun. Compared to that, even with relatively low risk, he had already ended up like this; if Iris fell into Du Tianyu's hands later, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Trust me, BB,” Iris softened her voice. “You know me. I’m not someone who likes to show off or someone who is incompetent, right? I’m confident in this matter, so you can let me go without worry. I’ll let you know by phone every time I finish something, okay? As soon as I send people out to find Yao Meiling, I’ll come back to the hospital to be with you, I won’t leave your side for a moment, is that alright?”

Zhuang Zhuoyuan rarely showed her such a displeased expression: "You ask me every question, but you have your own opinion on every step."

Iris leaned down and kissed his chin: "He hurt you, I can't just sit idly by. Whether it's revenge or prevention, I won't feel at ease if I don't do my part in catching him, and I can't swallow this anger!"

Zhuang Zhuoyuan had more to say to persuade Iris, but she had already made up her mind. Her husband had strict rules, demanding a clear distinction between right and wrong, but she was different; occasionally stepping into the gray area wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Investigations themselves involved some gray areas, and if things became serious enough, Zhuang Zhuoyuan didn't object to crossing the line. He had a clear sense of right and wrong and could weigh the consequences. It was precisely this foresight of the outcome that made him strongly oppose Iris's risky actions.

The two remained locked in a stalemate, neither willing to back down, until Alan King arrived, finally breaking the tug-of-war between the couple. AK's lips curled into a smile, seemingly finding the scene amusing. He stretched out his hand, which had been behind his back, and half-raised it, asking Iris for a hug. Gently tapping her nose as he always did, AK showed considerable affection, teasing them, "I thought I'd see some heartwarming scenes of rebirth and tender romance when I came in, but... Opps! You can still bicker? Looks like everything's alright now, right, Yuan?"

Zhuang Zhuoyuan nodded. Iris was trying to change the subject, and AK's visit was reassuring enough. She took his arm and joked, "Should we ask you to go out and open the door again so we can start over?"

AK laughed loudly: "I'm afraid you've locked the door from the inside, then my whole flight will be for nothing."

“Even if you can’t see us, you still have things to do, right, Uncle Alan?” Iris probed, staring into his eyes. His parents are in England, and it would take them at least ten hours to get here. AK’s arrival so timely clearly indicates he’s nearby. And since there’s been no news of him traveling recently, for him to drop everything and rush to Hong Kong immediately, besides checking on Zhuang Zhuoyuan’s injuries, there must be something else he needs to do, and that must be related to them.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t look at me like that,” AK blocked Iris’s view with her hand. “You always do this when you ask me for a gift. Let me make it clear beforehand, I’m only here on everyone’s behalf to see Yuan. As for anything else… OK, fine, I can help you solve your problems.”

Iris's eyes shone brightly, but AK pressed her down onto a chair in front of the hospital bed. He then found a seat on the bed, pointed at Zhuang Zhuoyuan, then at her, and said, "I do have a way to make everyone happy. You stay in the ward, and A-Yuan watches over you. I also stay in the ward, and I watch over A-Yuan. That way, there won't be any danger, and everyone's happy!" He drew a triangle in the air, clapped his hands, and spread them out in front of him. Iris, annoyed, slapped his palm hard, and AK immediately gave Zhuang Zhuoyuan a live demonstration of how to cheat. The two exchanged glances, and Zhuang Zhuoyuan understood. He grabbed his wife's hand again and said his lines: "Don't worry, Uncle Alan, under your supervision, I'll keep an eye on Iris. Also, please tell Daddy and Mommy when you have time that she and Tangyuan will be safe and sound."

Iris glared at Zhuang Zhuoyuan, who was grinning broadly, and had no choice but to extinguish her anger. She angrily pulled her hand away and placed it on her stomach, feeling very indignant—"Tangyuanzi, Tangyuanzi, look how cunning your daddy is! He even threatens Mommy! You absolutely mustn't be like him; you must be an obedient and brave good baby!"

Zhuang Zhuoyuan seemed to hear her silent thoughts, and soon said, "Tangyuanzai will definitely be a sensible and well-behaved baby in the future."

"Hmph!" Iris really wanted to pounce on him and bite him.