Chapter 399 The Movie Star Takes the Bait, Caught Like a Turtle in a Jar
Su Wantang recently felt that there was something wrong with the mute gardener in the Lu family compound.
This person came about two weeks ago, saying that Meng Wan had asked a friend to introduce him to help take care of the flowers and plants. At that time, it was late spring and early summer, and the crabapple blossoms in the yard were in full bloom and needed pruning.
The mute gardener was in his forties, with an ordinary appearance, a hunchback, and wore a faded blue cloth shirt.
He worked very diligently, arriving before dawn and leaving after dark every day. Seeing his pitiful state, Meng Wan specifically instructed Wang Ma to save him extra food.
"This person is quick and efficient, and knows the rules," Meng Wan praised during dinner that day. "Much better than the previous ones."
Lu Zhenguo nodded, without saying anything more.
Su Wantang was drinking soup at the time and didn't pay any attention to what he said.
But in the last two days, she noticed something was wrong.
That afternoon, Su Wantang, heavily pregnant, was taking a walk in the yard.
She was five months pregnant and her belly was already showing, so she walked slowly. Qin Zheng followed two steps behind her, holding a coat in his hand, ready to put it on her at any time.
Su Wantang stopped in her tracks when she reached the crabapple tree.
The mute gardener was squatting by the flowerbed, weeding. He kept his head down and moved very quietly, as if afraid of making a sound.
Su Wantang glanced at him and was about to continue walking forward when she caught a glimpse of the man suddenly raising his head and looking towards the second floor.
That glance was so quick that it was almost imperceptible.
But Su Wantang saw it clearly.
That look in his eyes was off.
It wasn't the way a normal person looks at things, nor was it the blank stare that a mute person should have.
There was greed, calculation, and a suppressed excitement in his eyes.
Su Wantang's heart skipped a beat.
She pretended not to see anything and continued walking. When she reached the corner, she turned around and glanced at the person again.
The mute gardener lowered his head and continued weeding.
But Su Wantang noticed that his fingers were trembling slightly.
That trembling wasn't from being tired from work; it was from uncontrollable emotional fluctuations.
Su Wantang went back into the house and closed the door.
Qin Zheng followed him in and draped his coat over the back of the chair.
"Young Miss, what's wrong?"
Su Wantang sat on the sofa, her fingers gently tapping the armrest.
“Go and investigate the background of that mute gardener in the yard.”
Qin Zheng was stunned for a moment.
"You think there's something wrong with him?"
“Hmm,” Su Wantang said, “The way he looked at the second floor just now was strange.”
Qin Zheng immediately understood.
Lu Jingyue lives on the second floor.
"I'll go check right away." Qin Zheng turned to leave.
Su Wantang called out to him.
"Don't make a fuss."
Qin Zheng nodded and went out.
Su Wantang sat on the sofa and closed her eyes.
She went through the details of the past two weeks in her mind.
The mute gardener wandered around the yard every day, but never went near the main house. He always worked by the flowerbeds, occasionally going to the backyard to water the plants.
But one time, Su Wantang saw him standing under the crabapple tree at the second-floor window, looking up at her.
From that angle, you could see Lu Jingyue's room window perfectly.
At the time, she didn't think much of it, assuming he was just looking at the tree branches.
Looking back now, that look was clearly one of observation.
Su Wantang opened her eyes and picked up the phone from the coffee table.
"Connect to the military region and find Brigade Commander Lu."
The call was answered quickly.
Lu Jingyan's voice came through.
"What's wrong?"
“Jingyan, I think there’s something wrong with that mute gardener in the yard.”
There was a two-second silence on Lu Jingyan's end.
Are you sure?
“I’m sure,” Su Wantang said. “The way he looked at Jingyue’s room today was strange.”
Lu Jingyan's voice immediately turned cold.
"I'll go back right away."
"No," Su Wantang said. "If you come back now, you'll alert them."
Lu Jingyan remained silent.
Su Wantang continued, "I want to catch a big fish."
Lu Jingyan understood.
What do you want to do?
“You’ll be back late tonight,” Su Wantang said. “I’ll spread the word that Jingyue is being transferred to a sanatorium tonight.”
Lu Jingyan remained silent for a few seconds.
"Wantang, you're pregnant now..."
“I know,” Su Wantang interrupted him, “so I won’t do it myself.”
Lu Jingyan remained silent for a few more seconds.
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
After hanging up the phone, Su Wantang stood up and walked to the window.
The mute gardener is still working in the yard.
The setting sun stretched his shadow long, making him look particularly thin.
Su Wantang's lips curled into a smile.
"An actor, right?"
She turned and walked out of the room.
During dinner, Meng Wan chatted about everyday things at the table, as usual.
“Jingyue is much better today,” Meng Wan said. “I went to see her this afternoon, and she even smiled at me.”
Lu Zhenguo put down his chopsticks.
"real?"
"Yes." Meng Wan nodded. "The doctor said she's recovering well and will be able to transfer to a sanatorium in a few days."
Su Wantang picked up the conversation.
"Mom, I contacted Xishan Sanatorium today, and they said they can send a car to pick up Jingyue tonight."
Meng Wan was stunned for a moment.
"Tonight? So soon?"
“Yes,” Su Wantang said, “I’m worried that things might get complicated if I wait too long, so it’s safer to move there sooner.”
Lu Zhenguo frowned.
"Wouldn't it be inconvenient to move at night?"
"It's alright," Su Wantang said. "I've already made arrangements. The sanatorium will send professionals over."
Meng Wan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"Okay, tonight then."
At the dining table, Wang Ma was clearing away the dishes.
She paused for a moment after hearing this conversation, then continued tidying up.
After finishing her meal, Su Wantang returned to her room.
Qin Zheng was already waiting at the door.
"Miss, we've found it."
Su Wantang entered the room and closed the door.
"explain."
Qin Zheng took out a file.
"The mute gardener's real name is Li Daniu. He is a farmer from the outskirts of Beijing. Three years ago, his family suffered a disaster, so he came to the city to make a living."
Su Wantang took the file and flipped through it.
That's all?
“Yes,” Qin Zheng said. “The file is very clean; there are no flaws.”
Su Wantang closed the file.
"Too clean is actually a problem."
Qin Zheng nodded.
"I think so too."
Su Wantang placed the file on the table.
"There's going to be a show tonight."
Qin Zheng understood what she meant.
"Young Miss, don't worry, I've already made arrangements."
"Okay," Su Wantang said. "Remember, capture them alive."
Qin Zheng responded and left the room.
It's late at night.
One by one, the lights in the Lu family compound went out.
Su Wantang stood at the second-floor window, watching the commotion in the courtyard.
The mute gardener had long since left, and the courtyard was empty.
But Su Wantang knew he would definitely come back.
Sure enough, just after eleven o'clock, a slight noise came from outside the courtyard wall.
A dark figure leaped over the wall and landed beside the flowerbed.
The movements were very light, almost silent.
The dark figure paused in the yard for a few seconds, then walked towards the main house.
He walked quickly, but his footsteps were very light.
Su Wantang narrowed her eyes as she looked at the dark figure.
The shadowy figure bypassed the guard room on the first floor and crept up the stairs to the second floor.
There were no lights on the stairs, and a dark figure groped its way forward in the darkness.
He walked very skillfully, taking each step steadily.
Clearly, he had scouted the location beforehand.
The shadowy figure walked to the second-floor corridor and stopped at the door of Lu Jingyue's room.
He took a long, thin tool out of his pocket and inserted it into the door lock.
"Crack—"
The door opened.
The dark figure pushed open the door and slipped inside.
The room was dark, with only a little moonlight coming in through the window.
There was a person lying on the bed, covered with a blanket, not moving at all.
The shadowy figure walked to the bedside and took a syringe out of his pocket.
The syringe contained a colorless liquid that gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
He raised the syringe, aimed it at the bulge on the bed, and plunged it in hard.
"puff--"
The shadowy figure froze the moment the needle pierced the skin.
It doesn't feel right.
It doesn't feel like human skin; it feels like cotton.
He suddenly threw off the covers.
There was only a wad of cotton wool on the bed; there was no one there.
The figure in black's expression changed, and he was about to turn around.
"Gurgle—"
A round thing rolled out from under the bed.
The shadowy figure looked down and its pupils dilated suddenly.
Tear gas!
"Bang—"
The gas exploded, and acrid smoke instantly filled the entire room.
The shadowy figure covered its eyes and tried to run towards the door.
But the door had already been locked from the outside.
The smoke grew thicker, and the dark figure coughed until tears streamed down his face.
Just then, the door was kicked open from the outside.
Su Wantang stood at the door, wearing a gas mask and toying with a scalpel in her hand.
The blade gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
"Li Daniu, should I still call you 'actor'?"
The shadowy figure froze.
The next second, the window was smashed from the outside.
Several dark figures broke through the window and pinned one of them to the ground.
Qin Zheng climbed in through the window and walked up to the dark figure.
"Young Miss, we've caught him."
Su Wantang entered the room and squatted down in front of the dark figure.
"Take it off."
Qin Zheng reached out, grabbed the dark figure's face, and tore it open forcefully.
"Tear—"
A human skin mask was torn off.
A stranger's face appeared.
The face was young, in his early thirties, with regular features, but the eyes were frighteningly cold.
Su Wantang looked at that face and smiled.
"It really wasn't Li Daniu."
The young man coughed a few times, looked up, and stared at Su Wantang.
"You...you knew all along?"
"Hmm." Su Wantang stood up. "The way you looked at Jingyue's room this afternoon gave you away."
The young man paused for a moment, then let out a strange laugh.
"Hahaha...Amazing...Really amazing..."
He laughed so hard he was shaking.
"As expected of Bai Shu... I thought I acted well enough... but I didn't expect you to see through me..."
Su Wantang didn't speak, she just stared at him.
The young man laughed for a while, then suddenly stopped.
"But...you think you caught me?"
His voice suddenly changed.
It became the voice of an old man, aged and hoarse.
"The real show... has only just begun..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly opened his mouth.
"Crack—"
The sound of teeth grinding.
Su Wantang's expression changed.
"Stop him!"
Qin Zheng rushed forward, trying to pry open his mouth.
But it was too late.
The young man's body convulsed violently, and a large amount of black blood gushed from his mouth.
Blood seeped from his eyes, nose, and ears, making his face look ferocious and terrifying.
A few seconds later, his body froze and he collapsed to the ground.
His eyes were still open, his pupils filled with a sinister smile.
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