Chapter 75
Despite Du Tianyu's high level of vigilance, he ultimately couldn't escape the law's reach aided by technology. Sure enough, after the last contact with Zhan Hantao, Qiu Junxuan's phone was switched off. The O-Team's device lost signal halfway through its tracking, and the interface abruptly stopped searching. Zhuang Zhuohua moved to the computer and entered the password. Soon, another program built into the chip was activated, and the signal icon reappeared—weak, but enough for them to pinpoint the area.
Bo Zai took the phone with a sigh: "Luckily, Du Tianyu didn't destroy the phone, otherwise it would have been a real disaster."
Zhuang Zhuohua's tightly pursed lips did not relax in the slightest. On one hand, she was worried about Zhuang Zhuoyuan's injuries, who was still in the hospital, and on the other hand, she was anxious about the safety of Zhan Hantao and Qiu Junxuan. Du Tianyu had gone to great lengths to capture the two of them, clearly intending to carry out a trial-style revenge. He was probably still keeping Qiu Junxuan alive for now, but once Zhan Hantao arrived, he would surely deliver his verdict soon.
In the abandoned warehouse, Qiu Junxuan's hands were tied to a cross. If it weren't for the urgency, Yao Meiling would have liked to take a few nails and pierce through his limbs and shoulders so that he could also feel what it was like to experience pain that went deep into the bone.
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her veiled face, the light fabric obscuring most of her features. She had worn a similar veil when she was active in South Asia; what had her husband said then? "She's beautiful even with her face partially covered; once the veil is removed, she's even more stunning."
But what about now?
The whip lashed Qiu Junxuan's body, leaving bloody welts. Qiu Junxuan quickly lost the strength to struggle. Yao Meiling watched from the side, her eyes gleaming with malice, her teeth practically grinding to powder, yet she still couldn't quell the hatred in her heart. Already very weak, she still reached out to Du Tianyu, wanting the whip in his hand. Even if she couldn't avenge herself, she would take revenge herself!
As the whip was raised again, her veil slipped slightly with her movement, revealing the burn scars on Yao Meiling's cheek to Qiu Junxuan. When she forcefully flung the veil away, revealing the horrifying scars that stretched from her face to her neck, rough, uneven, red, and seemingly on the verge of festering, Qiu Junxuan had only ever seen such a sight on television and in novels. This made him understand even more clearly the hatred this couple harbored for him.
"What are you looking at?" Du Tianyu punched him hard in the eye. Qiu Junxuan endured it without making a sound, so the second, third, and fourth punches landed on his left cheek, chest, and abdomen in succession. He couldn't help but let out a muffled groan in pain, but this still didn't diminish Du Tianyu and Yao Meiling's hatred in the slightest. "When your boss comes, you're dead."
The last time he was arrested and imprisoned, it was Zhan Hantao who caught him; this time, it's the same dog that won't let go. If it weren't for these troublesome Flying Tigers, he and his wife could have been living a carefree and happy new life long ago. Looking at Yao Meiling's battered body, Du Tianyu's eyes revealed even more heartache. Every bit of pain she endured, every cry of agony she uttered, was like a sharp knife, cutting cruelly into his heart. Even the most ruthless person has a pure land in their heart, and Yao Meiling was the only one who could reach the deepest part of his heart.
In the hospital, they truly remained locked in a silent, staring contest. Zhuang Zhuoyuan, unable to stay awake any longer, drifted off to sleep, leaving Iris and AK alone, gazing at each other. Once her husband's breathing had evened out, Iris slowly withdrew her hand and gestured for AK to go to the window to talk.
Having offended someone first, Iris naturally had to hear a few complaints. Alan King smiled and nodded good-naturedly, making Iris feel like her punches were landing on cotton. She pouted and said coquettishly, "You're all bullying me."
This time, Alan didn't complain. He grinned and affirmed, "Yes, we bullied you. So what? You can complain to your aunt and see if Gloria will protect you or join in the bullying."
Is there any other outcome to this? Iris made a face at him in dissatisfaction. But despite her complaints, she still had to ask the questions she needed to ask after her little tantrum. She really couldn't swallow this anger if Du Tianyu hadn't been caught. "Alan, you must have had a backup plan, right!"
“My hands are right here.” AK raised his hands to feign innocence, unwilling to be blunt. He went around in circles and threw the question back to Iris: “Sister, you don’t seem to trust your husband’s colleagues very much.”
These are two different things. Iris shook her head helplessly and could only go along with him, saying, "Du Tianyu should never be underestimated."
AK didn't care much, smiled contemptuously, and raised his chin slightly: "He's just one person, at most, plus his wife who's seriously injured and will be a burden."
It's true that Yao Meiling was severely injured, and she was indeed physically unable to cope, but that didn't mean she would implicate Du Tianyu in his arrest. In fact, before deciding on revenge, she had already prepared to sacrifice herself for Du Tianyu. Therefore, when the Flying Tigers stormed in, after confirming that the two of them were unlikely to escape, she pushed her husband, who was holding her back, and completely gave up on taking another step.
Du Tianyu stared in astonishment at her smile. He was frantic with worry, but Yao Meiling had her hands behind her back, preventing him from taking her hand again. "Husband," she said, her face disfigured, but her eyes still tender, "I love you, please go."
Du Tianyu seemed to see a kind of deathbed tranquility, a feeling she particularly loathed. He desperately tried to grab Yao Meiling. But Yao Meiling retreated, taking several steps back: "Husband, hurry, it's too late." He had returned to save her when she was in trouble before. That was why they had been separated for a time, behind bars. Yao Meiling remembered every second she had longed to see him again. This should be their last meeting, so she should have turned away, but she couldn't bear to. She hoped Du Tianyu would make the first move, so that as she watched him leave, she could feel a final peace and forever feel her devotion to him. With her lover by her side, she would never be alone.
"Little sister, guess whether Du Tianyu will abandon Yao Meiling and run away?" AK suddenly asked with interest.
Iris wouldn't have bothered with him. After hearing that question, another question arose in her mind that she was even more eager to know the answer to. She was very curious: if faced with a similar perilous situation, would AK choose to abandon her aunt? But without hesitation, she had no intention of speaking, because human nature is most vulnerable to temptation. Iris was more worried than the person involved, fearing that they would give her an answer she didn't like. As for what answer she truly desired, even she herself wasn't sure.
Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately. This may seem so to outsiders, but in the moment Du Tianyu turned away alone, he also made a life-changing decision.
Yao Meiling's arrest was expected; in fact, for her, being caught wasn't necessarily a bad thing, at least she could receive proper medical treatment openly at the hospital. Perhaps considering the same point, Du Tianyu remained silent for several days, not causing any trouble for the police. But the longer he stayed quiet, the more tense everyone became, fearing he might cause something serious again. Yao Meiling's burns worsened day by day, and the Flying Tigers took turns guarding and lying in ambush outside the isolation ward. Iris, after taking care of Zhuang Zhuoyuan, also made an excuse to sneak over there to take a look. Both times, Yao Meiling lay motionless on the hospital bed, her eyes tightly closed, appearing to be only exhaling and not inhaling.
AK bluntly stated, "He's just using machines to keep himself alive."
Zhan Hantao remained silent, and Iris, observing his expression, guessed that this was his tacit agreement.
Everyone wanted her to avoid contact with criminals, especially now that she was heavily pregnant; it was best not to even look at such people. AK's sneaking in with people was a major taboo, so everyone was focused on urging her to leave. But Iris's intuition told her the danger wasn't there. She took a few steps and then turned back, telling Zhan Hantao her deduction: "Du Tianyu definitely wants to take Yao Meiling away, but if he comes to the hospital, they'll likely both be arrested. It would be better to use a better plan, to take hostages—either important figures or a large number of citizens."
There have been similar cases in the past. Zhan Hantao nodded, thanked her for the reminder, and said, "Double insurance."
It turned out that they had already thought of that. Iris sighed and laughed, secretly lamenting that she had gone to unnecessary trouble. When she went outside and looked at the number of Flying Tigers outside, they did not look "fully prepared" as she had hoped.
Back home, she told Zhuang Zhuoyuan about it as a joke. He raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt. Instead, AK, who had been leaning against the wall playing on her phone, came over and smacked her on the head with a look of exasperation. Iris turned away and pouted until AK left speechlessly with a look of disdain. Only then did she realize she had let something slip. The secret operation was exposed, and Future had to be stopped. Iris looked miserable and pitifully pleaded with her husband, "Sorry, baby, I just wanted to see if you needed to be transferred to another hospital."
"Then it's still my fault..." Zhuang Zhuoyuan drawled, and Iris's momentum weakened even more. It was obvious that he was using gentleness to overcome strength, so she could only obediently accept it. After all, the other person was a patient. Pulling at the corner of the blanket and acting coquettishly, Iris's face was full of pleading for forgiveness. Zhuang Zhuoyuan kept a straight face for a while, taking her nervous silence as a small reflection, and finally relented: "Alright, I'll just say you're a bit forgetful after pregnancy."
Iris seized the opportunity to kiss him on the lips as a promise: "It's all sealed now, but you can't tell anyone else about this, okay? If Auntie finds out, AK will get scolded, and then he'll never take me out to play again."
"There will be a next time?" Zhuang Zhuoyuan was somewhat amused and exasperated. "Ms. Zhou Yishi, are you so spoiled that you're fearless, or are you really stupid?"
"Oh, baby," Iris said, wishing her husband's injury would heal immediately so she could kiss and hug him. She became even more affectionate and said, "Right now, I'm someone who really needs my husband to help me clean up the mess."
Mr. Zhuang Zhuoyuan quickly closed his eyes and said in an exaggerated tone, "Oh no, I can't take it anymore, it's getting dark, I need to sleep a little longer. Go find AK, he'll play with you, I trust him just like you do, I feel very at ease with him around."
AK always just starts things on a whim and has no interest in cleaning up other people's messes, especially now that he's nowhere to be found. Iris thought for a moment, then grabbed Zhuang Zhuoyuan's hand and used her secret weapon: "Tangyuan, Tangyuan, hurry up and call Daddy up, Mommy really needs him to be with her."
Sleeping Beauty remained asleep, but her tone became a little mechanical: "Incorrect password, please re-enter."
So Iris turned his face around, leaned down, and kissed Zhuang Zhuoyuan's lips nine more times before asking him with great interest, "Is this password correct?"
“We’ll add this one too.” He tilted his chin slightly, their lips met, and after the kiss, Zhuang Zhuoyuan stroked Iris’s cheek before asking, “Feeling better?”
Iris smoothed her loose hair and said, "AK said you trust him as much as I trust him, so I should trust your brother as much as you trust your brother. So I don't care anymore, Du Tianyu will be caught sooner or later. As for the harm he did to you, God has already punished Yao Meiling. Du Tianyu must be in great pain right now."
Without offering any further comment, Zhuang Zhuoyuan simply tapped her nose again: "You're incredibly audacious."
Actually, there should be a second half to the sentence—"spoiled beyond measure."
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