Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The ordinary hotel room was deathly silent. Tian Ruan stood frozen by the door, finally snapping to after over ten seconds and rushing to the window, leaning out to look down.

The second floor wasn’t that high, but it wasn’t low either. With the first floor’s elevated ceiling, the drop to the ground was at least eight meters. Yet Du Henbie just jumped—no hesitation—wasn’t he afraid of breaking his legs?

When Tian Ruan looked down, Du Henbie was already standing up, unhurt though stumbling slightly.

"Mr. Du?" Tian Ruan called out nervously.

Du Henbie glanced up. "Stay there. I’m going to the pool."

Tian Ruan didn’t stop him. On a rainy day, the pool would be freezing—perfect for countering the effects of the aphrodisiac. With mixed feelings, Tian Ruan said, "You’re a gentleman."

Du Henbie let out a huff of laughter but didn’t respond. He turned away to hide his obvious discomfort, feigning composure as he strode toward the outdoor pool, though his pace quickened in the rain.

Tian Ruan watched until his figure disappeared into the scattered trees and blooms.

Turning back, he noticed the plaster bust on the coffee table.

The carving was uncanny. At first glance, it was a woman’s face, but upon closer inspection, a tiny angel could be seen on her left cheek—its wings twice the length of its body, staring up at something beyond.

The right side of her face, including the bridge of her nose, was carved with mountains, rivers, and seas, as if the angel were journeying over mountains and seas.

This woman was a mother, embracing both the angel and the world.

Tian Ruan sat where Du Henbie had been, oddly captivated by the bust. He propped his chin in his hands as he studied it.

The angel’s face was oddly familiar.

*Bang, click*—the sound of the door being pried open—*clang!*

Several hotel managers and Yu Shang burst into the room. Yu Shang was the first to storm in, his expression icy. "Tian Ruan!"

Tian Ruan blinked innocently at him. "You mean ‘Dad.’"

"..." Yu Shang frowned. "You’re fine? Where’s Du Henbie?"

"He jumped out the window."

Yu Shang’s face twisted in disbelief. "Why would he jump?"

"Why the hell wouldn’t he?"

"..."

The managers collectively sighed in relief. "We’re glad you’re unharmed, Madam. We’ll get to the bottom of this."

Tian Ruan nodded. "You *should* investigate—why was there an aphrodisiac in the guest’s wine?"

The GM went pale, sweating. "Madam, rest assured, the hotel is fully monitored. We’ll find out who did this."

Yu Shang sighed. "Why is there always drama around you?"

Tian Ruan: "... The hell’s that got to do with me?"

The manager jumped in to mediate. "This was our oversight. We apologize for the fright, Madam."

Tian Ruan fired a glare at his disrespectful brat, ready to snap back, when his phone rang. He answered, cheer instantly returning to his voice. "Mr. Yu, I’m safe now. No need to come now."

Yu Jingmo: "I've arrived. Which room on the second floor?"

Tian Ruan rushed out the door and ran straight into Yu Jingmo, who stood rock-solid. The impact sent Tian Ruan stumbling back.

Yu Jingmo grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him back. "Watch where you're going. Don't you look?"

Tian Ruan straightened up. "You're like a brick wall."

"?"

The hotel managers nearby overheard and awkwardly turned away, thinking, *What are they talking about? Jeez...*

Yu Shang said blankly, "Dad, if you don’t need me here, I’ll go check on my classmate. He has a fever."

Yu Jingmo gave no response. "Go ahead."

So Yu Shang went to look after Lu Qiuyan.

Afraid Yu Jingmo might misunderstand, Tian Ruan quickly deflected for the main couple: "Just the other day, we talked about being kind to classmates, and Yu Shang took it to heart. What a good kid."

Yu Jingmo gave no response. "Where is Du Henbie?"

Tian Ruan repeated the story of Du Henbie jumping out the window to the pool and commented, "He’s still somewhat of a gentleman."

Yu Jingmo lowered his gaze, briefly glancing at the plaster bust on the coffee table before looking away. "Check the security cameras."

The footage focused on the kitchen, wine cellar, and hallway—the only three places where the culprit could have spiked the wine.

Next was pinpointing the time: from when the kitchen opened in the morning until the wine was delivered to Du Henbie’s room.

The footage showed the head chef and kitchen staff working busily as usual, preparing dishes. Plates of gourmet dishes lined the long table as servers loaded meals into waiting delivery robots.

Two robots per floor were generally enough to handle the workload.

The sight of the delivery robots rolling out in an orderly line on their little wheels was oddly cute.

As for the wine cellar, only servers and managers went in.

Then came the hallway. Since the kitchen and dining area were on the third floor, the robots had to take the elevator.

Inside the staff elevator heading to the second floor was a man in a baseball cap.

After stepping out, the man pressed down on a robot’s head, forcing it to open its "cargo compartment." He took out a wine glass, took out a syringe, and injected a clear liquid into it.

He gave the glass a swirl before dumping it out onto the floor, then placed it back inside.

The robot continued its delivery, entering Du Henbie’s room.

Moments later, Du Henbie suddenly stepped out.

Startled, the man in the cap ducked around a corner.

About ten minutes later, Du Henbie returned, helping a feverish, red-faced guy into his room.

The man observed for a moment, moving to approach, when another figure emerged from the VIP elevator—making him hide again.

It was Yu Shang, who pressed Du Henbie’s doorbell.

Moments later, Du Henbie opened the door and ushered him in.

The man in the baseball cap muttered in shock, "Damn, that’s some wild stuff."

Everyone watching the monitor: "..." Slandering Yu Jingmo's son—does he wanna die?

The man in the baseball cap continued to skulk around, pulling out a small knife from his pocket and creeping toward Du Henbie's door. Just then, the door clicked open—

The man scrambled down the hallway in fright.

Yu Shang carried Lu Qiuyan out, a blanket draped over him. Du Henbie saw them off at the door and scoffed, "Some gratitude—I wasn’t even after your boy."

Yu Shang: "...Mr. Du, please don’t talk crap. He’s my classmate."

Tian Ruan, watching the monitor, nodded seriously. "Exactly, theirs is a pure friendship." He then shot a furtive look at Yu Jingmo. "Right?"

Yu Jingmo remained expressionless, his focus solely on the surveillance footage.

After Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan entered the elevator, the man stuck his head out again, muttering curses.

Just then, Tian Ruan’s figure came sprinting from another elevator—

The man in the baseball cap: "..." No one saw the ugly scowl on his face as he hid.

Once he confirmed Tian Ruan had entered the room, the man strode forward, used the knife to jam the keycard reader, and then walked away.

The managers wiped cold sweat from their brows. "Mr. Yu, we’ll definitely catch this guy."

Yu Jingmo replied coolly, "I thought you’d learned your lesson, but it seems this hotel is leaky as a sieve, letting just anyone in."

"...We’ll investigate immediately!"

Tracking the surveillance footage, they traced the man’s license plate—a local car registered under the name Gou Dan [sic]. Talk about audacity.

Half an hour later, Gou Dan was apprehended, soaked and shaking like a wet rat at Yu Jingmo’s feet.

"I was just following orders!" Gou Dan lived up to his name (‘Gou Dan’ meaning ‘dog’s gall’) and sang like a canary in terror.

Yu Jingmo sat on the lobby sofa, took a slow sip of tea, face unreadable. His crossed legs shifted, the polished leather of his custom-made shoes catching the light on the gilded tiles, his ankles neatly clad in thin black socks, trousers impeccably pressed.

Tian Ruan was totally mesmerized, his heart pounding.

This was the allure of dress shoes... Only someone with Yu Jingmo’s impeccable proportions could make you wanna get stepped on.

"What are you staring at?" Yu Jingmo suddenly asked.

Tian Ruan: "...Nothing. Wanna continue the interrogation."

No interrogation was needed—Gou Dan blurted out everything, shocking everyone: "Mr. Yu, it was your Second Uncle Yu [Yu Er], who ordered me to do it!"

Tian Ruan: "?? Why would he do that? Does he even know Du Henbie?"

Gou Dan: "How should I know? I was just paid to do a job. Please let me go—I’m desperate! I’m unemployed, with a wife and kids to feed... *ugly sobbing*..."

Tian Ruan: "You’re pulling the poor-me card now? If you’ve got a family to support, why didn’t you sell your car?"

Gou Dan: "I... I moonlight as a Didi driver..."

Yu Jingmo flicked his wrist, and guards hauled Gou Dan off. He had only wanted to find the mastermind—he gave zero fucks about Du Henbie’s fate.

Tian Ruan: "Wanna summon Second Uncle?"

Yu Jingmo handed his phone to Assistant Xu, who stepped aside to call Yu Er: "Uncle, Mr. Yu invites you for tea at the Macchiato International Garden Hotel. Would you like to join us?"

Yu Er snorted, "Tea? Since when does he care about being filial?"

"Don't be silly, Uncle. Mr. Yu has always been filial. He even prepared a gift for you."

"Fine. It's raining today—I’ll come for tea tomorrow."

"Tea tastes especially good on rainy days. Now would be ideal, as Mr. Yu may not be free tomorrow."

"What a pain. I’ll head over now."

"By the way, it would be even better if you could bring Mr. Fada along. Mr. Yu would love to catch up with him."

"He's actually here right now. We’ll come together."

"Uncle, please remind the driver to go slow. The roads are slippery in the rain—your safety is most important."

Yu Er hung up cheerfully and called out to his son, Yu Fada, "Jingmo invited us for tea! Hell must be freezing over—finally remembering to show respect to his second uncle."

Yu Fada chuckled, "Jingmo has always been filial. He just rarely says it out loud—acts tough but has a soft heart."

The father and son, along with Yu Fada’s wife, headed to the hotel.

Tian Ruan gave Assistant Xu a thumbs-up. "You're really smooth."

Assistant Xu humbly replied, "It's all Mr. Yu's doing."

While waiting, Tian Ruan, curious about the progress between the protagonist couple, said to Yu Jingmo, "I need to use the bathroom."

Yu Jingmo didn’t suspect anything. "Okay."

Midway, Tian Ruan stealthily detoured, taking the emergency stairs to the third floor. Out of breath, he rang the doorbell of Yu Shang’s room.

Inside, Yu Shang, who had been reading a first aid manual, set the book down and looked through the peephole before unlocking the door. He turned the knob and looked at Tian Ruan standing there. "What are you doing here?"

Tian Ruan slipped past him quick as a cat, darting straight to the bedroom. "Where’s Lu Qiuyan? What did you do to him?"

Yu Shang: "?? Get your mind out of the gutter. Lu Qiuyan and I are just classmates."

Tian Ruan: "Say it louder so Lu Qiuyan can hear you."

Silence.