Chapter 469: He Mei Pays a Visit
Zhuang Mingxu instinctively reached out and gripped the hand Lu Weiyi had raised to protect himself, then stood and looked toward the courtyard. At the gate was a woman clinging to the bars, looking completely unhinged.
Lin Mo, who had been on watch, went up to her. After hearing what she said, he returned with a strange look on his face. “Commander, she says she’s…”
“I know,” Lu Weiyi said, frowning at the woman who still refused to let go of Xu Sa. “Where’s Xu Sa?”
“He went shopping for clothes with Liu Rui,” Lin Mo replied.
“Tell her Xu Sa isn’t here. Let her go look at the market.”
“Got it.” Lin Mo went forward to send the woman away.
Still uneasy, Lu Weiyi waved Lin Mo over. “Go find out what’s happened to her in the past two years.”
*
By the time Xu Sa and Liu Rui returned, the afternoon was nearly over. They carried only two pitiful-looking shopping bags between them, which made Lu Weiyi wonder if he had been too harsh on his subordinates.
Even though they had voluntarily converted all their crystal core earnings into purified cores to upgrade their abilities, they were now so broke they could barely buy clothes…
Feeling guilty, Lu Weiyi gave each of them a 50-core “travel allowance” that day.
But it didn’t lift Xu Sa’s mood. Though his face appeared calm, anyone who knew him could see that he was upset.
Close to dinner, Lin Mo brought news about Zhang Bijuan.
After Xu Sa had previously dealt with members of the Morning Light Squad, Qin Hu died on the spot. After recovering, Qin Zhifei couldn’t accept that he had killed his father with his own hands. Despite his twisted morals, he still knew who had genuinely cared for him.
At first, he took his rage out on Zhang Bijuan and her two children—beating and tormenting them. One day, after Qin Leyang was severely injured by him, Zhang Bijuan finally fought back for the first time. She screamed at them, calling both father and son scum—saying they schemed and ruined her, and that Qin Zhifei was selfish to the point of killing the only person who ever loved him.
Qin Zhifei viciously beat Zhang Bijuan and dumped them all at a hospital. After that, his focus turned entirely to the Morning Light Squad.
The squad had originally been supported by both him and Qin Hu, both fire-type ability users. But with Qin Hu dead and Qin Zhifei losing his powers, lacking experience and strength to suppress the others, he quickly lost his leadership position. Still, since the squad was basically a family operation, and most of the top members were from the Qin family, they let him stay for now.
Zhang Bijuan, realizing she had no chance of surviving if she left with the children, also remained. Knowing they couldn’t live off dwindling resources forever, she used the compensation from Qin Hu’s death to buy a job in the team. But without backing and having fallen from grace, she became a target for others.
Eventually, her supplies were used up, her job was taken, and when Xu Sa ran into her, she was already working as a janitor in the Morning Light Squad’s underground cinema.
“When Xu Yi went missing last time, we didn’t pursue the Morning Light Squad afterward, but they used that as an excuse to make her resign. She… thinks Xu Sa was targeting her,” Lin Mo said.
“And…” He paused. “She might be dying. Apparently, she’s been coughing up blood recently. So coming to find Xu Sa now might be because…”
Entrusting a Child to Another’s Care.
Lu Weiyi was disgusted.
“Has Xu Sa seen her yet?”
“No, she went to the market to look for him, but couldn’t find him. She probably heard something from the team.”
Lu Weiyi frowned and gritted his teeth, his face full of revulsion.
“Let him deal with it himself,” Zhuang Mingxu said, putting down the half-finished report in his hand and waving Lin Mo away. He turned to Lu Weiyi, “I’ve arranged for the allied bases to purchase jade. Uncle also just sent over a batch. Do you want to try it?”
“…,” Lu Weiyi held the spatial jade stone Wen Jing had given him and glanced at Taotao, who was quietly studying in the corner of the living room with Zhuang Aiyi. “Aren’t you afraid he might suddenly grow up?”
“Daoist Tian Ning said the most he’ll grow is the age he was when he died before becoming a spirit,” Zhuang Mingxu explained, seeing Lu Weiyi’s confusion. “That means, the same as he appears in the space.”
“As for whether he’ll grow older in the future, Daoist Tian Ning couldn’t give a definite answer either. He’s never seen it happen.”
Lu Weiyi was still worried. If Taotao suddenly absorbed the crystal cores and aged from two to five in appearance, that alone would be enough to make people in the team suspicious.
He couldn’t guarantee that everyone brought along this time was completely trustworthy. He didn’t want even a hint of suspicion spreading about this matter.
“Then wait until we’ve left,” Zhuang Mingxu compromised. “I’ll have Uncle gradually administer it to him. Afterward, you can keep him in your space. If he disappears for a while and comes back a bit older, that won’t seem unusual.”
“Okay.”
As they were talking, they heard the guards outside speaking quietly with Xu Sa in the courtyard.
Thinking it might be Zhang Bijuan, the two exchanged a glance and simultaneously looked outside. Lu Weiyi even stood up, but as he walked toward the door, Zhuang Mingxu reached out and stopped him.
“He’s still hoping. So don’t get involved. Friends need boundaries, or it’ll affect your relationship.”
“I know,” Lu Weiyi replied unwillingly, his face showing his disapproval. “I really don’t like people who are indecisive like that. He’s clearly been hurt, yet still clings to the past.”
“That’s why there’s always so much emotional entanglement,” Zhuang Mingxu muttered, finishing up his report and storing it in his space.
After Xu Sa finished speaking to the person at the gate, he walked in quickly. “Where’s Zhuang?”
“Xu Yi’s still shopping,” Lu Weiyi answered lazily, half-lying down, holding a bunch of grapes Lu Xiao had just sent him. He asked Zhuang Aiyi, who was studying math in the corner, “Three times eight is twenty-four, not twenty-six.”
“Oh, right—three times eight is twenty-four, three times nine is twenty-seven…” Zhuang Aiyi mumbled as she recited, though her eyes were already drifting toward Taotao, who was trying to get snacks from Liu Rui.
“The guard said someone’s looking for Li Zhuang. Claims to be Dong Hongyuan’s wife.”
Lu Weiyi and Zhuang Mingxu looked over at the same time, surprise in their eyes.
“That’s right, it’s He Mei,” Xu Sa confirmed their suspicions.
“What does she want?” Lu Weiyi asked.
“She wants to come crawling back—what else could it be?” Xu Sa sneered. “Crawling back? Not that damn easy.”
Lu Weiyi looked at him but didn’t speak.
Realizing his tone, Xu Sa awkwardly smiled and added, “I turned her down.”
“Let Li Zhuang handle it himself. As long as it doesn’t affect the base, I won’t interfere in what any of you do,” Lu Weiyi replied, also clearly saying it for Xu Sa’s benefit.
Xu Sa stayed silent for a moment, then turned to go deliver the message.
“She wants to come back with us?” After Xu Sa left, Lu Weiyi asked Zhuang Mingxu.
“Obviously. In the Capital base, she’s just a woman with no power and no skills. How good could her life be? Once she has something to compare it to, she’ll naturally think life with Dong Hongyuan wasn’t so bad. Even though he seems cold and distant, a man who personally takes care of his wife during postpartum recovery can’t be that heartless,” Zhuang Mingxu evaluated.
“Do you think Li Zhuang will agree?”
Zhuang Mingxu looked into Lu Weiyi’s eyes. “What do you think?”
“I think he will. Li Zhuang is… a kind man with principles,” Lu Weiyi answered after some thought.
Zhuang Mingxu gave him a strange look, as if questioning whether he meant it sincerely. “Didn’t expect you to rate him so highly. It’s a pity though…”
“Hm?”
“Want to bet? I say Li Zhuang won’t agree,” Zhuang Mingxu said, casting a glance over Lu Weiyi in a very suggestive way.
With painful memories of being tricked in the past, Lu Weiyi was instantly on guard. “No bet.”
“This has nothing to do with me,” he added quickly, getting up to avoid Zhuang Mingxu altogether.
Looking regretful, Zhuang Mingxu waved at Zhuang Aiyi and went over to personally supervise her math recitation.
Though Lu Weiyi claimed to be uninterested, he still kept an eye on what was happening outside.
His spiritual sense extended through dozens of villas and “looked” toward the front gate—sure enough, it was He Mei waiting there.
Lu Weiyi had seen her a few times before and still remembered her. Even though the woman had long lost the grace and charm she had when she left, he recognized her instantly.
She stood at the entrance of the villa under the scorching sun, her increasingly frail figure swaying like it could collapse at any moment. Her messy hair and rough skin told everyone plainly—this woman had not lived a good life.
When the guard told her Li Zhuang wasn’t around, she grabbed his hand in a panic. “What about the others? The others from Crescent Bay? Is the base commander here? I used to live in Crescent Bay—I want to go back. Help me find him…”
The guard yanked his hand away in disgust. “There were tons of people from Crescent Bay. Anyone could say they want to see the base commander. Are you crazy?”
“He knows my husband. My husband’s brother is the deputy captain of the Only One Squad. Just help me ask—I only want to see them, just once…”
“They said they don’t know you. Go, go, don’t stand here. You’re blocking the entrance for other teams. Be careful, or they might take their anger out on you.”
The guard didn’t forcibly remove her but went back to his post. He Mei stubbornly remained at the entrance, clearly determined to wait for Li Zhuang to return. The guard wasn’t sure if she really knew him or not, so he didn’t dare drive her away.
And sure enough, just before evening—Li Zhuang actually returned.
Li Zhuang was driving, sunglasses on. Somehow, He Mei recognized him instantly and, without a second thought, rushed toward the oncoming vehicle.
After standing too long in the sun, her body was weak. She ran two steps and collapsed right in front of the car.
Li Zhuang slammed on the brakes. In the passenger seat, Xu Yi was flung forward, then yanked back by his seatbelt.
“Damn it, good thing I always wear a damn seatbelt,” Xu Yi cursed, poking his head out. “Who the hell has a death wish?”
After confirming Xu Yi was fine, Li Zhuang looked out. A guard had stepped forward to help He Mei up. She was barely standing before staggering toward the driver’s side.
“Vice Captain Li, I’m He Mei, Dong Hongyuan’s wife. I…” she pointed to herself, voice trembling.
