Chapter 647 - 403: Going Rogue

Chapter 647: Chapter 403: Going Rogue

If it had been anyone else, it wouldn’t have mattered so much. But the person who’d gone missing was Liu Menglong, his sworn brother!

To find out whether his friend was alive or dead and what exactly was going on, Wang Hao decided to defy an order from his superiors.

"Just do as I say! Whatever happens, I’ll take full responsibility..."

"Wang Hao, don’t be reckless! Think this through. If this blows up, you won’t be able to walk away unscathed, even with your Second Order High Rank." Chen Xiaoyan pleaded, making one last effort to change his mind.

"If Liu Menglong hadn’t saved me ten years ago, I’d be dead. Now, I don’t even know if he’s alive. No matter the cost, I’m going to get to the bottom of this..." Wang Hao said, his gaze firm and resolute.

Seeing Wang Hao’s mind was made up, a complicated expression crossed Chen Xiaoyan’s face.

She then pulled her phone from her pocket. As she drove toward the residential complex where the young man named Lin Li lived, she called Zhu Daqi, the one responsible for monitoring his movements.

"Hello, Yan."

"Zhu Daqi, what’s the target’s status?"

"Oh, him? He went to a jewelry store early this morning, but he’s been back in the complex ever since."

"Understood. I’m heading your way now."

"Huh? Yan, you’re coming over now?"

"That’s right. If the target leaves before I get there, call me immediately."

"Got it."

After hanging up with Zhu Daqi, the man monitoring Lin Li, Chen Xiaoyan put her phone away and stepped on the gas, speeding toward her destination.

Wang Hao, sitting in the passenger seat, put his sunglasses back on and closed his eyes to rest, his mind already running through what was about to happen.

...

「Spirit Realm, Dongwu City.」

A magnificent luxury carriage, escorted by a retinue of guards, entered Fugui Road and came to a stop before the gates of a sprawling, opulent estate.

"The young miss is back!"

A guard at the main gate saw the carriage and shouted back into the estate. A moment later, several young maids hurried out.

"Huh?!!!"

"Who is that?"

The young maids had come out to welcome their mistress, so they were quite surprised when an unfamiliar young man emerged from the carriage instead.

Lin Li, the first to exit, leaped down from the carriage. As he landed, he gazed at the estate before him, enclosed by towering walls. He clicked his tongue in amazement. ’Zhu Xinru’s family walls stretch as far as the eye can see. This place is huge!’

The massive estate before him was easily the largest Lin Li had seen since arriving in Dongwu City.

He’d once infiltrated the estate of the Red Blood Gang’s leader and thought *that* place was big, but it paled in comparison to Zhu Xinru’s home.

"Young Miss," the maids called out as they saw Zhu Xinru step out of the carriage.

Zhu Xinru nodded to the maids and descended from the carriage, then walked over to where Lin Li was still surveying her family’s estate.

"Mr. Lin, the sun is quite strong. Please follow me into my humble home to take shelter."

Lin Li, still taking in the magnificent estate, turned to Zhu Xinru with a smile.

"Miss Zhu, you’re being far too modest. If this is a humble home, then I don’t think one exists in this world."

Zhu Xinru just smiled and led Lin Li inside.

The maids who had come to greet Zhu Xinru watched Lin Li with unconcealed amazement.

They had never before seen a man who could chat so easily with their young miss, let alone one who could make her smile so genuinely.

...

They passed through vermilion gates into the magnificent estate. Pavilions and terraces dotted the landscape, adorned with carved railings and jade inlays. A man and a woman led the way down a seemingly endless corridor, followed by a train of seven or eight pretty young maids in matching attire.

TAP... TAP... TAP...

The only sound in the quiet corridor was the scattered tapping of their footsteps. Walking beside Zhu Xinru, Lin Li’s face was a mask of astonishment.

He had expected the interior to be luxurious, but seeing the pavilions and terraces firsthand, he realized his imagination hadn’t done it justice.

’Zhu Xinru’s home is truly magnificent! It’s every bit as grand as the manors of princes and nobles in historical dramas.’

After walking beside Zhu Xinru for over ten minutes, the corridor suddenly opened up.

A vast, man-made lake stretched before them, its turquoise surface gently rippling. The banks were lined with willow trees.

An occasional breeze set the willow branches dancing, their movements complementing the sunlight glittering on the water’s surface, creating a picturesque scene of breathtaking beauty.

A pavilion stood on the shore of the man-made lake. Zhu Xinru led Lin Li inside before finally stopping.

"Mr. Lin, please have a seat."

At Zhu Xinru’s invitation, Lin Li finally pulled his gaze away from the lake and sat down on a stone bench inside the pavilion.

"Chunxiang is all I need. The rest of you may go," Zhu Xinru said to the maids.

"Yes, miss." Although the pretty maids were dying to stay, their mistress had spoken. With some reluctance, they curtsied and withdrew.

After the pretty maids left, word of Lin Li’s visit spread like wildfire. Soon, all the servants knew that a man was in the lakeside pavilion, chatting amicably with their young miss.

Everyone was intensely curious about this man’s origins. For their young miss to invite him to the lakeside pavilion was unheard of.

After all, many powerful and wealthy young masters had come to call on her in the past, but she would only grant them a few moments of small talk in the main reception hall before sending them on their way.

"Mr. Lin, what do you think of this place?" Zhu Xinru asked with a smile.

Gazing at the rippling turquoise lake and the myriad rare flowers and plants along its banks, Lin Li gave his honest impression. "It’s an absolutely delightful place."

Zhu Xinru was delighted to hear him say that, as she was also very fond of this spot.

Whenever she was troubled, she would come to this pavilion to be alone for a while.

"There’s usually a small boat we can take out on the lake, but unfortunately, we discovered a problem with it yesterday.

"Otherwise, we could have taken it out to the middle of the lake. It’s a completely different experience out there," Zhu Xinru said with a smile.

"Mm," Lin Li nodded. "I imagine it would be a great spot for fishing."

"Fishing?" Zhu Xinru blinked, taken aback by his words.

She had never thought to fish in the middle of the lake. When she took the boat out there, it was usually to read or play her instrument.

"Yes. You’ve never tried fishing from the middle of the lake?" Lin Li asked.

"I can’t say I have."

"You should try it sometime. It would be a shame to have a private lake like this all to yourself and not experience the pleasure of fishing from a boat."

Zhu Xinru nodded, making a mental note to try it sometime.

Just then, several pretty young maids appeared in the distance, hurrying toward the pavilion with trays of pastries and fruit.

Zhu Xinru’s personal maid, Chunxiang, took the trays from the other maids and arranged the pastries and fruit on the stone table.

Before leaving, the maids who had brought the refreshments stole a few curious glances at Lin Li.

"You really didn’t need to bring out all this food. I’ll only be staying a little while longer," Lin Li said to Zhu Xinru, looking at the table laden with treats.

"Mr. Lin, you’ve only just arrived! Why the rush to leave?" Zhu Xinru said, her tone pleading for him to stay.

"Mr. Lin, you don’t seem to have any urgent business to attend to," Chunxiang, the personal maid standing beside Zhu Xinru, suddenly interjected. "I’ve already instructed the kitchen to prepare lunch. Why don’t you join my lady for a meal before you go?"

"Oh, is that so? Alright then, I suppose I can stay for lunch," Lin Li agreed after a moment’s thought, seeing as they had already gone to the trouble.

Zhu Xinru glanced at Chunxiang, giving her personal maid an appreciative look.

...