Chapter 67: The Self-Cultivation of a Canary (32)

Ling Qiong truly hadn’t tied up Pan Xiuliang.

Is she that kind of person?

She had drawn a card, and the clue on it pointed directly to Pan Xiuliang.

So, in order to find this prop—not prop, person—she had expended quite a bit of effort.

Ling Qiong actually didn’t understand why she had drawn Pan Xiuliang.

But Pan Xiuliang was connected to Zhou Jing.

And Zhou Jing was connected to Shen Handeng.

So it must still have something to do with Shen Handeng.

Ling Qiong brought a chair and a small table in from outside, brewed herself a cup of tea, and, after arranging everything, sat down leisurely. “Tell me about you and Zhou Jing.”

“……”

Pan Xiuliang glanced at the open door.

He wasn’t far from the entrance, and it seemed there was no one outside.

If he could just run out…

Pan Xiuliang tried to steady Ling Qiong while rising to his feet. “You all know about me and Zhou Jing, don’t you? What’s left to talk about?”

Ling Qiong replied, “What I want to know isn’t those things.”

“Then what do you want to know?”

As Pan Xiuliang finished speaking, he suddenly made a dash for the door.

Bang—

Pan Xiuliang took a hit to the leg and fell flat on the floor, knocking out one of his front teeth.

Ling Qiong now held a baseball bat. “If you keep running around, I’ll have to take measures. For your own safety, I don’t recommend you act so recklessly.”

Pan Xiuliang, clutching his bleeding mouth, shouted angrily, “You still say you didn’t hit me?”

Ling Qiong rolled her eyes. “I told you it wasn’t me.”

Pan Xiuliang: “……”

Not only did his tooth hurt, his leg did too. There didn’t seem to be much point in arguing.

Whether or not she was the one who knocked him out, he couldn’t leave now anyway.

He pushed himself up, sitting closer to the door, but after glancing at the person sitting on the chair, weighing the baseball bat in her hand, Pan Xiuliang’s leg throbbed, and he didn’t dare run again.

A bad premonition gnawed at Pan Xiuliang’s heart.

With a missing front tooth and too much pain, his speech was slurred. “What do you want to know?”

Ling Qiong’s lips curled in a smile. “That’s exactly what you need to tell me.”

Pan Xiuliang: “……”

How am I supposed to know what you want to know?

……

Villa.

Shen Handeng returned but saw neither hide nor hair of Ling Qiong upstairs or downstairs. He summoned Kelly to ask.

“Where is she?”

It was the weekend, no classes, so where had she gone?

“Miss Ye went out and hasn’t returned yet,” Kelly answered truthfully.

Shen Handeng frowned. “How much money does she have on her?”

“Well…” Kelly thought for a moment, already figuring out the pattern. “I saw Miss Ye leave looking rather gloomy. Probably not much.”

When she had money, she left the house in high spirits, almost bouncing off the ground.

Shen Handeng: “……”

Kelly added, unable to resist, “Young Master, isn’t Miss Ye a bit too extravagant? This villa is nearly becoming her private collection museum.”

She’d filled every empty room with her things.

And the young master never said a word to her.

“Let her be,” Shen Handeng said. “Is the villa not big enough for her?”

“...It’s big enough.”

“Good. If it’s ever not, we’ll get a bigger one.”

“……”

Well then.

If the young master isn’t worried, why should he be? It’s not his money, after all.

Ling Qiong didn’t return until eight that evening.

Shen Handeng was about to lose his temper when he saw her dragging something in.

From afar, it looked like a ragged sack.

As she got closer…

Shen Handeng: “……”

Kelly: “……”

She’d dragged a person home in the dead of night!

The young woman was dressed up beautifully, like a princess just leaving a ball.

But…

Look at what she was doing.

Wasn’t there something perverse about it?

Shen Handeng stood at the doorway with arms crossed, his deep eyes half-narrowed. “You bought a person? Are inanimate objects no longer enough for you?”

“Bought? This one didn’t cost anything.” Ling Qiong tossed the person onto the floor, shook out her wrist, then stretched it out to Shen Handeng. “Rub it for me, it’s so sore.”

Her sweet, soft voice scratched at Shen Handeng’s heart like a kitten.

Any anger he felt seemed to dissipate.

He naturally took Ling Qiong’s wrist and gently massaged it, though his words were less gentle. “You managed to drag a whole person home, and you’re still so delicate?”

Ling Qiong blinked, shamelessly, “I just wanted the young master to rub it for me.”

“……”

Shen Handeng kneaded for quite a while, then told Kelly to bring an ice pack for her wrist.

Kelly: “……”

Given her appearance, was there really any problem?

Did she need an ice pack?

Knowing she was being mischievous, yet indulging her—young master, you’ve changed!

Kelly felt he couldn’t understand the amusements of young people.

……

Shen Handeng told Ling Qiong to go upstairs and shower, then ordered Kelly to drag the person lying at the door inside.

“Young master, I think this is Pan Xiuliang.”

Kelly turned the man over and finally recognized him.

Shen Handeng: “……”

Kelly: “……”

The two stared at each other in silence for several seconds, the atmosphere strange.

“Put him in the storage room,” Shen Handeng came to his senses first. “Tie him up, so he doesn’t run away.”

Who knew what she’d brought him here for.

If he ran off, wouldn’t she make a fuss?

Shen Handeng lingered downstairs for a while, then slowly went up, pushing open Ling Qiong’s door.

From the bathroom came the sound of water and a girl singing.

Shen Handeng walked over and knocked, “Ye Qingtang.”

The water stopped abruptly, and the door opened a crack. A damp head poked out, her face flushed rosy from the steam, and she beamed brightly, “Young master, want to shower together?”

The door wasn’t open enough to see anything inappropriate.

Shen Handeng scowled and pushed her head back in, shutting the door. “Why did you bring Pan Xiuliang here?”

“He said he had something to tell you and insisted I bring him.”

“……”

Liar.

“Young master, fetch my clothes, will you?”

Shen Handeng: “You shower without bringing clothes?” Commanding him to fetch them? Quite bold!

“This is my room. I always just come out after showering. What’s the point of bringing clothes… You didn’t install cameras in my room, did you?”

Shen Handeng: “……”

He actually did.

But he never watched them, mostly used the ones in the living room and hallways.

Later, he found they were useless. She always found blind spots, so he hadn’t checked for ages.

Shen Handeng changed the subject, “Which one?”

“Anything, just grab one.”

Shen Handeng opened the wardrobe and was startled by the number of clothes inside.

The clothes were arranged by color, from dark to light, more orderly than a shop.

He picked one at random.

Ling Qiong came out dressed, her damp hair hanging down her back, dripping water.

She seemed exhausted, and after sitting down didn’t want to move, nor did she blow-dry her hair.

Shen Handeng reminded her, “Dry your hair.”

Ling Qiong lazily leaned against the sofa, displaying the air of a spoiled lady. “You do it for me.”

Shen Handeng laughed coldly, “Am I your servant?”

Ling Qiong replied smoothly, “You’re my young master.”

Shen Handeng gritted his teeth, “And you dare boss me around?” So righteously, too!

“Young master…” Ling Qiong tugged at Shen Handeng’s sleeve, her dark eyes glimmering with flecks of light.