Chapter 70
It was as if Pandora's box had been opened; one bad thing after another happened. Not only was he not appeasing his wife, but Zhuang Zhuoyuan also discovered that his older sister had gone missing. He couldn't get through no matter how many times he called. Suppressing his unease, he immediately contacted Zhan Hantao.
The two brothers split up, one heading to Cheng Wanting's workplace and the other to her residence. Meanwhile, Iris, who was at the hospital testing Ben's attitude, learned of this and, without further delay, urged Derek to drive over and meet them.
Ben was still bedridden, and despite his good intentions, he was powerless to do anything but keep his phone on, anxiously maintaining contact with Iris. The car sped along the road, heading first towards Cheng Wanting's residence based on Iris's assessment. Priorities mattered; even though she was still angry with Zhan Hantao, she knew that temporarily setting aside her prejudices would be more beneficial in resolving the situation. Meeting Zhuang Zhuohua at the suspect's house would be ideal, but even if she couldn't be found, it was crucial to deduce Cheng Wanting's next move from the clues inside. Now that it was confirmed the bombing was a series of revenge attacks, Cheng Wanting would likely not stop her plans until the last "culprit" died. Now that Zhuang Zhuohua was relentlessly pursuing her target, what criminal wouldn't want to drag this annoying Madam down with them in this situation?
The more certain she became of her speculation, the more worried she felt. Iris's brows furrowed tightly, unable to relax. Suddenly, another thought flashed through her mind. The case files of the King of Thieves instantly appeared before her eyes, and her previously uncertain speculations became clear for no reason at this moment—Du Tianyu was definitely a vengeful person as well.
In Iris's portrayal of the couple, Yao Meiling's existence is dependent on Du Tianyu, and their relationship should never have resembled what they displayed at the police station on the day of their arrest. Was it a case of abandoning each other in the face of disaster? Perhaps it was all a setup from the beginning. The police were keeping a close eye on the mastermind; once arrested, Du Tianyu would likely be trapped, and he probably wouldn't want his wife to suffer in prison. If both of them went to jail simultaneously, that would be the most foolish choice. If only one of them could escape…
Iris's heart pounded. Lost in thought, she was startled when her phone rang again. Startled, she snapped back to reality. It was Zhuang Zhuoyuan informing her that Cheng Wanting hadn't been found at either of the two places he and Zhan Hantao had visited. This was actually within Iris's expectations. Having considered this possibility, she had already devised a plan, and thus spoke with remarkable composure: "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Occasionally skirting the rules is necessary. Can you handle this? Do you need me to send someone over?"
The couple always had a tacit understanding, and with years of experience working on the job, Zhuang Zhuoyuan immediately grasped Iris's unspoken meaning. Reaching into the gate wasn't a problem; they could handle such things flexibly. Zhuang Zhuoyuan's brow furrowed for something else: "Baby, you have a new place to go?"
As they spoke, the car had already entered another lane. Iris was pleased with Derek's timely turnaround. She pointed to the new destination on the car map and continued to inform her husband, "I'm going to the cemetery to see if my sister is with Bang-ge. You and Tao-ge should carefully observe what Cheng Wanting is planning to do. As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. If she wants to do something to my sister, today might be the best time."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan was also in a hurry and didn't have time to respond when they encountered a red light. Iris thought he was just having pregnancy anxiety again, so she quickly added, "Honey, don't worry," making it clear that Derek and his team would protect her, their VVIP mission target.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Zhuoyuan felt even more uneasy.
He wanted to persuade Iris to stay put, but he knew it was impossible, and the sun was setting, so he could only utter the word "be careful."
This time, the warning wasn't a trigger for a bomb, and Iris gently acknowledged it before hanging up. For the rest of the journey, she urged Derek to drive fast, hoping to see Zhuang Zhuohua before the cemetery closed. Unfortunately, fate intervened, and the two sisters-in-law missed each other. When they arrived at the cemetery, it was already deserted.
A group of people rushed to the management office, using their financial resources, but in the end, they could only see in the surveillance footage that Zhuang Zhuohua had left the gate 15 minutes earlier. The group returned to their respective cars. Derek tried to track Zhuang Zhuohua down, while Iris, sitting in the passenger seat, felt a headache coming on. She rubbed her temples, racking her brains for clues and considering all the possibilities. For a fleeting moment, her image seemed to overlap with Ella's. Derek took a moment to speak, reminding her, "Miss, be careful to control your emotions. Too much fluctuation can affect the fetus."
“I know.” Iris gave a reassuring look, then gave the order: “Go to Situ Guozhang’s company.” The car started the moment she finished speaking, with a van following closely behind. Being employed by the Zhou family meant understanding three words—obedience. Just obey; nothing else mattered. But Iris still explained: “If Cheng Wanting had planned to harm my sister, she must have known the consequences. Once she’s wanted by the police, her revenge plan will be even harder to carry out. Now she only needs one more person, so I think she’ll lure my sister to Situ’s workplace and then use a bomb to take them both out at once. Husband…”
Upon hearing the last two words, Derek glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Iris wearing headphones at some point, and chuckled at his own wishful thinking. Indeed, no matter how different their personalities, Iris ultimately carried the blood of the Zhou family. They were all the same. He began to understand the importance of bloodlines emphasized by those large families.
Oh, blood!
It was precisely because the bomb design blueprints were found in Cheng Wanting's home that Zhuang Zhuoyuan became even more worried about Iris's safety. Now that his older sister had been lured into a trap, he absolutely did not want his wife to walk into it as well. "BB, at most, let Derek take you to the office building, okay? Wait for Ah Tao and me to come over. Promise me, you absolutely will not act on your own."
"Don't worry." Iris was well aware of the dangers involved, and with backup, she never acted as a spearhead: "I'll only use M016 to scout the situation. The rest will wait until you and the SDU arrive. I won't interfere much unless my sister's crisis level rises to the next level."
Zhuang Zhuohua's current situation is indeed difficult. The moment she entered and felt the hard object under her feet, she knew she'd been tricked. There was no ticking countdown to a bomb in the office, no sense of urgency, but the atmosphere didn't lighten in the slightest. Situ Guozhang was bound hand and foot to his seat, while Cheng Wanting brandished a remote control, yelling at everyone. A pressure bomb was hidden under the carpet; if Zhuang Zhuohua moved, or if she pressed a button, the pressure on the device would change, and everyone would die together.
"It seems she's prepared to take everyone down with her," Derek said calmly, looking at the screen.
Their car was parked in a temporary parking space across from the building. Watching Zhuang Zhuoyuan go up and down the stairs, Iris guessed the Flying Tigers should be arriving soon. As her husband approached, she got out of the car and handed him a tablet, explaining what she had previously monitored: "Cheng Wanting has taken Situ Guozhang hostage. My sister is under the influence of her pressure bomb and is currently standing motionless on the carpet, about two meters away from them. If she doesn't move, the situation will be safe for now. But Cheng Wanting has another remote control, which she claims she can use to detonate a bomb. We don't know the bomb's weight yet, but I think it should be enough to destroy an entire office."
Recalling the fertilizer bag that Cheng Wanting had discarded in the stairwell of her building, Zhuang Zhuoyuan was even more certain that the situation was not optimistic: "To ensure that the plan goes perfectly, I'm afraid she will increase the amount of explosives and gamble everything."
Anyway, the sirens were already blaring. Zhuang Zhuoyuan patted Iris on the shoulder, took the tablet, and pushed her back into the car. Their eyes met, and Derek understood immediately, giving an "OK" sign: "I'll move the car two blocks away to ensure it's not affected by the bomb."
Iris nodded obediently, as she never wanted to become a worry for Zhuang Zhuoyuan.
Watching her husband's resolute departure, she rested her elbow on the window, her brows slightly furrowed, as if worried, or perhaps about to express her feelings. Derek deliberately made a sound as he turned the car key, but still had to wait a little while before the young lady began to speak.
"Derek..." Actually, after the walkie-talkie was turned on, he wasn't the only one who could hear her. She had been preparing for a long time, and Derek had convinced himself to listen patiently. But when he waited, Iris simply said, "My husband is really handsome, isn't he!"
The car shot off without hesitation, Derek flooring the accelerator, catching the car behind him off guard. Both of the Zhou family's daughters were love-struck, the only difference being that this one was a little more irrational. Derek thought it would be hard for outsiders to imagine that the infatuated woman beside him, hands clasped and eyes shining, was a bestselling author renowned in the Chinese-speaking world. Or perhaps, she used to be an author. Anyway, he felt that since getting married, Iris's language skills had become increasingly limited. Listen to her evaluation of Zhuang Zhuoyuan—it's always the same thing she says.
"My husband is so handsome!"
Whether it was her self-affirmation that accidentally bumped into his response, or whether she did it intentionally, Iris clapped her hands again and nodded with unusual seriousness before she had even gone 50 meters away: "My husband is indeed handsome."
It seems that her writing is about to become a thing of the past.
Derek can't take it anymore, he really can't take it anymore.
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