Xu Zhuohua walked in and smoothed out her wrinkled dress.
Although the lights were on inside the shop, there was no one there. The door leading to the backyard was wide open, and Xu Zhuohua walked in cautiously with a sense of doubt.
In the courtyard, freshly dyed fabrics that hadn't yet been dried were scattered on the ground. The man, wearing yesterday's suit, sat in a grand chair, his elbows propped on his knees, his head bowed, looking very tired.
The fabric shop owner and his family were kneeling in front of him, along with many workers whose hands were covered in dye.
The soldiers standing in the courtyard were all in military uniforms, holding torches that illuminated the courtyard brightly.
Xu Zhuohua spotted Cheng Muyun at a glance. She stretched out her arm, shook it, and shouted loudly, "Cheng Muyun!"
Cheng Muyun raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and his originally gloomy face turned joyful at the sight of the small figure.
The man suddenly stood up and ran towards Xu Zhuohua. Xu Zhuohua also jogged over and snuggled into Cheng Muyun's arms.
Finally, we are safe.
Although Cheng Muyun is a great demon king, he represents absolute safety to Xu Zhuohua.
Cheng Muyun held her tightly in his arms, cupped Xu Zhuohua's face in his hands and looked her over from left to right. There was no injury, no tear stains, and then he pressed her head into his arms.
Where did you go?
Xu Zhuohua was worried that Cheng Muyun would question her for running around, but she didn't expect to be met with the man's infinitely gentle questioning.
"I don't know where I was taken. Then I ran out, found a rickshaw, and was brought here."
Cheng Muyun, who had been on edge all day, finally relaxed and let out a long sigh. "Well, it's good that everything's alright."
The atmosphere in the courtyard, which had dropped to freezing point, seemed to change slightly with Xu Zhuohua's arrival.
"Sir...can you spare my whole family?" the owner of Huang's Cloth Shop asked, holding his wife and daughter in his arms.
Cheng Muyun turned around, his eyes turning sinister. "Who is Huang Sanchong to you?"
Mr. Huang was extremely apprehensive, saying, "He's my cousin."
"I already asked," Cheng Muyun said, shielding Xu Zhuohua behind him and pulling her to sit down in the armchair.
What's the deal with the silver and opium in the warehouse?
Boss Huang started kowtowing, slamming his head against the ground as if it weren't his own, trying to appease the man in front of him.
"Sir, I really don't know. This warehouse is used by Huang Sanchong. He is in charge of transporting goods. I really don't know anything about it."
Cheng Muyun seemed to have no patience at all, letting Boss Huang smash a deep red bloodstain on the ground, blood flowing down his face, scaring his little daughter who kept crying.
Xu Zhuohua felt uneasy about the Huang family's reaction. She knew that Cheng Muyun would not let go of anyone who had touched opium, and she dared not hope that he would release them.
But the child is innocent, and Xu Zhuohua still hopes to show a little humanity.
"Where is Huang Sanchong?" Cheng Muyun asked.
Mr. Huang said, trembling, "He said a while ago that he wanted to lay low and had been living in a courtyard outside the city."
Cheng Muyun hooked Huang's shoulder with his toe, forcing him to straighten up, and said, "Take my men over there and catch Huang Sanchong, and I'll release your wife and daughter. If you dare to play any tricks, you'll be collecting their corpses."
Boss Huang quickly kowtowed on the ground, "Thank you for your magnanimity, General Xie! Thank you for your magnanimity!"
Cheng Muyun grabbed Xu Zhuohua's wrist and walked straight out of Huang's Cloth Shop.
Sitting in the car, Xu Zhuohua looked at Cheng Muyun's lips, which were pursed into a thin line, and didn't dare to speak, occasionally stealing glances at his reaction.
The man looked straight ahead. "You have something to say to me?"
Xu Zhuohua did want to say that she felt Cheng Muyun wasn't as cold-blooded as she remembered, but he acted like someone owed him two hundred dollars, so Xu Zhuohua didn't dare to say it.
"No."
"No?" Cheng Muyun leaned in and pressed down on Xu Zhuohua, trapping her between the seat and his arm.
Their breaths mingled. "I have so much to say to you."
Xu Zhuohua's breath hitched. She saw a mixture of anger and grievance in Cheng Muyun's eyes. "What did you say?"
The man's warm breath on her face made Xu Zhuohua itch from her skin to her heart.
Without a word, a kiss landed on him.
She is very gentle.
Gently lick the surface.
It's like a child asking for their favorite toy, like a fallen leaf gently drifting onto the water's surface, like treating a lost treasure that has been found again.
After a long, lingering kiss, the man gently pecked her cheek more than twenty times.
"You're really going to kill me."
Upon hearing Cheng Muyun's words, Xu Zhuohua immediately froze.
She felt her death was imminent!
Oh no, it seems Cheng Muyun really likes me!
He's doomed! His wife died young, and he's about to die himself!
That's it, it seems she can't live a carefree life anymore!
Cheng Muyun assumed Xu Zhuohua was frightened and continued to hold her in his arms, gradually lowering his guard and closing his eyes to catch up on sleep.
The car was moving very slowly. The surrounding buildings looked familiar to Xu Zhuohua. Upon closer inspection, he realized that this was the vicinity of the Paramount Ballroom.
Why are you back again?
Xu Zhuohua finally managed to clear the jumbled thoughts from her mind.
"Cheng Muyun".
The man gave a soft "hmm," seemingly exhausted.
Why are we here? Aren't we going back to the Cheng Mansion?
Although Madam Cheng, who always disliked Xu Zhuohua, lived in the Cheng Mansion, Xu Zhuohua still felt more at ease there than at the Paramount. She preferred to be lectured on the three obediences and four virtues by Granny Su rather than return to the Paramount.
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