Chapter 72 Blood Flower "Kill me like you murdered my parents!"...
In the East Building, Old Master Qiao, wanting to play matchmaker for his grandson, deliberately kept Meng Cenjun for a while, trying to find topics to talk about with him, but Meng answered each one of them, leaving no room for negotiation.
Seeing that there was nothing left to say, the servants brought tea to soothe the old man's throat. Meng Cenjun took the opportunity to make some excuses and managed to get away.
Because he was worried about Lan Jia, he had finished entertaining guests at the East Building and was about to go to the West Building to find her when he saw someone calling to him from afar: "Xiao Cen, come this way."
Meng Xia, dressed in a long purple satin dress, held a glass of champagne in her hand and leaned against the high table with a smile, watching him.
Meng Cenjun walked over and called out, "Third Aunt."
These days, with a common enemy, the two of them are united against a common foe, and their relationship has become much closer than before.
Meng Xia asked with a smile, "Where's Lan Jia? Didn't she come with you?"
Seeing that she suddenly paid attention to Lan Jia, Meng Cenjun felt a strange sensation, but still replied, "She's not used to it here, she went to play with her friends."
"She's your only younger sister, and she's still so young and innocent. Xiao Cen, don't listen to those people's advice. You just need to keep a close eye on her at all times. If anything happens to her, you won't know how much you'll regret it later, don't you think?"
Although it was meant as a warning, hearing from others that something had happened to Lan Jia felt like a prophecy, making him inexplicably uncomfortable. Therefore, Meng Cenjun didn't respond, but instead changed the subject: "Third Aunt seems to be in a good mood lately."
Meng Xia took a sip of her wine, a bright smile spreading across her face. "I heard he's going back to Brazil. I don't know how he can be so heartless. The old man is still sick in the hospital, and he just ignores everything. He's dumped all the big and small things for the family on me, keeping me so busy I barely have time to breathe." As she spoke, she touched the corner of her eye and complained with a smile, "I've gotten two more wrinkles these past few days. Isn't that infuriating?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Cenjun's face darkened, a sense of things spiraling out of control washing over her. Why was Meng Shiyuan in such a hurry to leave, even abandoning the Meng family's financial control? Had he received some inside information? Without him, all her plans were futile. She couldn't let him leave so easily.
When does he plan to leave?
"We'll have to wait for the route application to be approved, which should be within the next day or two."
His intuition has always been sharp, and now that he's heard this, he feels that there are many doubts behind everything, as if something is about to happen.
Meng Cenjun said solemnly, "Excuse me for a moment."
Meng Xia nodded, watching his hurried departure, a slight smile playing on her lips. It seemed he understood her hint.
He pushed through the crowd, went outside, and went to a secluded spot to contact Zuo Tai: "How is she? Where is she?"
"Miss is still in the west building. Her dress is dirty, so she asked me to go get a spare dress. I'm on my way back."
"She's alone?" Meng Cenjun immediately frowned.
Before Zuo Tai could answer, a familiar voice came from not far away: "Brother Cen Jun?"
Upon seeing that it was Qiao Zimu, Meng Cenjun hung up the phone and asked, "What's up?"
Qiao Zimu had just returned from picking up Song Qingqu and went out for some fresh night air, which cleared his head considerably. He began to have doubts about Lan Jia and the others. Although he had promised her he would keep it a secret, something felt off. He had never liked Song Qingqu, and he couldn't understand what could be so important that she would even meet him on his birthday. A little jealousy got the better of him, and when he happened to run into Meng Cenjun, he couldn't help but leak the secret. After all, he had been a double agent for a while, and he had dealt with most of the people around Lan Jia in the past, often with Meng Cenjun's help.
Before Meng Cenjun could hear more than a few words from him, her expression grew increasingly grim. She immediately dialed another number, this time for Lan Jia, but no one answered. When she hung up and tried to call again, the phone was switched off. Instantly, a chill ran through her, her knuckles stiffened, and she gripped the phone so tightly it almost creaked.
Seeing the cold aura emanating from him, Qiao Zimu was immediately startled and stammered, "What's wrong... Is Lan Jia alright?"
Meng Cenjun turned to look at him, her eyes filled with hatred, hating that he had taken the person away without properly taking care of him.
But the situation was urgent, so he had no choice but to suppress his anger and say, "Go find her! Send people to find her immediately!"
Qiao Zimu's pupils trembled, and he immediately knew that something serious had happened. Without saying a word, he went to gather his men.
While the Qiao family was secretly making a huge fuss over finding someone, Lan Jia was being taken away with her hands tied.
In the secluded back garden path, Meng Shiyuan walked ahead, while Acheng with scarred eyebrows followed behind, holding Lan Jia hostage.
Faced with such a professional bodyguard, she wisely refrained from shouting, because she was certain that if she lured anyone over, she would either be immediately knocked unconscious or drugged and taken away. For the sake of her plan, she needed to remain clear-headed at all times to have any room to maneuver.
Lan Jia glanced worriedly at A-Cheng's pocket. Before her phone was confiscated and turned off, she had been sharing her location with Song Qingqu. Now that she had gone so far, she didn't know if he could find her. She then looked at Meng Shiyuan, feeling that he could act irrationally when he wanted to, and her heart was pounding. If he really took it away silently, everything would be for nothing.
She had never faced such a perilous situation alone before. Lost and confused, she thought of Meng Cenjun, and her nose suddenly stung with tears. She had always accepted his protection, believing everything was so simple, completely under her control. But reality was far from what she expected. She had lied to him, kept things from him, made promises yet still put herself in danger, and tried so hard to do everything right, only to foolishly sacrifice herself in the end.
She still wanted to see him; she couldn't just let herself be slaughtered like this. Even if she had to wait for them to discover she was missing and for someone to come and rescue her, she should at least delay it for a little longer.
With that thought in mind, Lan Jia was pulled along and began to struggle, but A-Cheng's iron-like hands held her arm tightly, making it impossible for her to move at all.
Lan Jia made a snap decision, secretly exerted force with her feet, and swerved outwards, causing her to fall to the ground. However, A-Cheng quickly caught her and lifted her up.
Meng Shiyuan, who was walking quickly ahead, heard a cry of pain behind him and finally turned around.
He always presented a kind face to her, but today he wore a different expression, his serious and cold gaze fixed on A-Cheng.
"how?"
Lan Jia's eyes were filled with tears: "I twisted my ankle and can't walk anymore."
Seeing her pitiful state, Meng Shiyuan smiled instead. "Oh? So, would you like me to carry you on my back or hold you in my arms?"
Lan Jia glared at him, her foot really hurting, feeling both angry and aggrieved.
It was just a child's trick. Meng Shiyuan hadn't intended to pay any attention to it, but seeing her angry and stubborn expression reminded him of Hanzhen back then, and his heart softened instantly.
"Let me see."
As he spoke, he half-squatted down and lifted her skirt to examine her.
The garden path was full of gravel, and high heels got stuck in the gaps between the pebbles.
Meng Shiyuan met her gaze, gently grasped her ankle with his large hand, and with his other hand on the arch of her shoe, he used a little skill to pull the heel out of the gap.
He looked down at her slightly swollen ankle, his thoughts drifting back to Boston more than thirty years ago. It was a snowy day, and he and Hanzhen had just come out of a dance, arguing heatedly in the street. She stormed off, and he silently followed behind her, trying to keep her warm by putting his coat on her several times, only to have her throw it away each time. No matter how much she chased him away or yelled at him, he wouldn't leave. He was at that proud and arrogant age, yet he followed her like a stray dog because he was afraid—afraid that Hanzhen would never speak to him again. Then, she twisted her ankle, and her high heels got stuck. Somehow, they inexplicably made up again, and in the end, he carried her home on his back. Hanzhen cried all the way home, panting heavily.
The snow was heavy that day, and he was frozen stiff, but looking back, it was so sweet, because he was certain that no matter how angry Hanzhen was with him, she still loved him. From then on, he always believed that as long as he offered her his heart and continued to love her with all his might, they would never be separated.
At that time, he was full of confidence in the future, but he could never understand why Hanzhen left him in the end. Clearly, no one in this world loved her more than him. Would that person be willing to love her to the point of dying for her? No one could do what he did.
They had been inseparable since they were teenagers, and he really couldn't understand how Hanzhen could be so heartless as to abandon him.
But it doesn't matter now. Her daughter has fallen into his hands. Although she has half that man's blood, he will treat her as his daughter with Hanzhen because of how much she resembles her. He will build the most perfect manor for her and make her a precious jewel untouched by the world. But the price is that she must stay by his side forever until he dies.
Hanzhen owes him what he owes her, so he will make it up to her; he owes Hanzhen what he owes her, so he will do everything in his power to make it up to her.
Meng Shiyuan straightened her skirt and stood up. "All done."
"Can we go now?"
Where are you taking me?
"I'd like to invite you to visit my territory."
"An invitation? This is outright kidnapping!"
Meng Shiyuan laughed: "I invited you last time, but you didn't come, which made me very sad. Xiao Lanjia, since you are so wary of me, I will have to resort to some special methods."
"Don't you also want to hear about your mother's past? Come to my place, and I'll tell you everything."
Upon hearing him mention Ms. Yi, Lan Jia suddenly reacted, her eyes turning red with anger: "Shut up! I don't want to hear anything you say!"
Meng Shiyuan, of course, was unaware of the reason, but simply smiled and sighed, "Hanzhen was also prone to temper tantrums when she was young, just like you are now."
Lan Jia glared at him with disgust and said coldly, "You dare mention her name?"
"What are you pretending to be so affectionate for?" Lan Jia interrupted him abruptly.
Meng Shiyuan fell silent, his eyes lowered dangerously.
She looked at him, her eyes filled with disbelief. So many years had passed, and he still showed not a shred of remorse. If he had any humanity left, he should be repenting for his actions every day, instead of shamelessly exploiting the dead and deceiving himself into saying he loved her!
Before she could finish speaking, a large hand reached out and pinched her chin, a fierce gaze shooting straight at her: "Who told you all this? Hmm? You believe everything you hear?"
She knew at a glance that she had touched a nerve, and his true nature was revealed. The presence of such a villain only fueled her rebellious spirit; tears streamed down her face from the pain in her jaw, yet she gritted her teeth and said, "This is the truth!"
However, Meng Shiyuan was like a different person when he got ruthless. He restrained her even more tightly and warned, "I'm letting it go because you're young and easily misled. But if you say anything that upsets me again, do you know what the consequences will be?"
"What consequences could there be? Are you going to murder me too? Like you did to my parents?" Lan Jia looked up at him with hatred, "Either you harden your heart and kill me! Otherwise, as long as I live, I will condemn you as a murderer every day! Come on, kill me like you murdered my parents! Meng Shiyuan, I'm not afraid of you!"
He was furious to the extreme, but then he laughed. Knowing that arguing would be pointless, he gently touched her face and laughed wildly: "How could I bear to let you die? Little Lan Jia, for the rest of your life, you will stay by my side in place of your mother." With that, he grabbed her arm and pulled her forward, "Come with me now."
"Let me go!"
As soon as Lan Jia moved, the pain in her injured foot returned, causing her to limp and struggle with him, viciously cursing, "Murderer, hypocrite, beast in human form, worse than an animal..."
Her attacks were no match for him. Meng Shiyuan pulled her along as he laughed, "Let me hear you curse a few more times. You can't really come up with anything fancy when you're cursing. You should hear the things your mother said when she and I argued back then. You should learn from them."
Lan Jia was so angry that her face was trembling. She struggled desperately, using all her strength to fall backward.
Meng Shiyuan simply picked her up and said sarcastically, "Who are you waiting for to come find you? That childhood sweetheart from the Qiao family, or your good brother?"
"You're not getting away! You've done so many bad things, just wait to be arrested and brought to justice!"
"Oh? Who are you waiting to arrest?" He seemed to have heard something funny. "If I were to do something, would I leave any trace? You actually believe those people's petty tricks? That's the only thing you're not as good as your mother—you're so naive and easily fooled."
In an instant, Lan Jia's face turned deathly pale.
Indeed, she never saw any evidence from beginning to end.
She was speechless for a moment. Meng Shiyuan walked quickly and arrived at the back gate of the Qiao residence in the blink of an eye.
The car was already waiting outside. Acheng went to make arrangements, and Lan Jia, seeing the guards' familiar and respectful manner, immediately realized that they had already arranged everything, and no matter how she cried for help, it would be to no avail.
She was held stiffly in his arms, her breath suffocating, her heart pounding, like the last moments of lucidity before drowning, everything in her sight was slowing down, slowing down, turning into a sorrowful black and white silent film.
Once you step out of this door, you will be completely imprisoned and plunged into an abyss of no return.
Acheng had already opened the back door, and Meng Shiyuan bent down to help her in. She was still making a last-ditch effort, her bound hands gripping the edge of the door tightly. He watched coldly as Acheng pried her fingers off one by one.
Just as a door was about to close, Lan Jia gritted her teeth, spotted the gap, and like a fish on a chopping board, made her final leap, half of her body hanging down, almost falling to the ground.
Unfortunately, after watching her futile struggle, A-Cheng reached out and tried to shove her back into the car.
Tears streaming down her face, she was being manipulated by others, and just as she was about to reach hell, she suddenly heard someone calling her name.
Lan Jia hurriedly turned her head, but before she could see the person clearly, a gunshot rang out.
At the same time, a huge firework bloomed in the sky above the Qiao residence.
Then came the second and the third, blooming brilliantly in the dark night sky.
Meng Shiyuan, who was standing outside the door, swayed and fell to his knees in front of Lan Jia's horrified gaze.
Fireworks soared into the sky, turning it as bright as day, and also illuminating the blood blooming on his chest.
Author's note: Sigh.
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