Chapter 24 "Baby, it's me"
Winnie turned her head away from the smoke and whispered, "You're not dead, are you? Why are you being so stingy?"
Gardner muttered a curse under his breath and stubbed out his cigarette.
He picked up the fruit knife on the table and, laughing, stabbed Winnie in the stomach.
Winnie's white uniform was stained red with the seeping blood.
Pei Hening was startled by his sudden action.
Chu Xuange watched the farce with a cold eye, calmly comforting Pei Hening and even moving closer to her.
Raman's face paled; he hadn't expected Gardner to be so crazy: "Calm down!"
Winnie realized belatedly that she had been stabbed! A wave of pain spread through her abdomen, and she cried out in terror, "Ah!! Gardner!! You're going to die!"
Gardner said casually, "You're not dead, are you? Why are you being so stingy?"
Coffey's lips curled up subtly, his eyes, hidden behind his glasses, darkened slightly. "Alright, stop fooling around. We haven't even read the newspaper Gardner brought back yet. Let's read the newspaper first."
Winnie looked at Raman and then at Pei Hening, and said to Pei Hening, "Green, could you come with me to treat my wound?"
According to her character's established personality, Pei Hening shouldn't refuse; she was just about to go over.
Chu Xuange pulled the man back to his side and said coldly, "You don't have hands? Go yourself."
Winnie shuddered at his cold, death-gazing eyes: "Fine, I'll go by myself then."
Coffey divided the newspapers Gardner had brought back equally among the five people present.
Pei Hening picked up her copy and examined it carefully.
In March 2048, George was transferred to the town of De Saint Mar as mayor.
One report specifically praised Mayor George, saying he was the greatest mayor in the history of De Saint-Marse.
He first shut down the casino in the town, then built a factory to make recurve bows and hired the town's residents to work there.
The recurve bows made in the town of De Saint-Maur are quite famous, attracting many tourists.
In December 2052, a fire broke out in the town of De Saint Mar, destroying the factory that made recurve bows and a family of four living on the outskirts of the factory.
In May 2053, the recurve bow factory was rebuilt, but the product quality was worse than before the fire, reportedly due to equipment problems.
...
Pei Hening pinched the bridge of her nose and put down the newspaper in her hand.
Butler Carter came over to call them to lunch: "Coffee, your lunch is ready. Please finish your lunch before continuing your investigation."
Coffey, looking exhausted, took off his glasses and wiped them with a cloth. "I know, thank you for your hard work, Butler Carter."
Carter, the butler, has disappeared again.
Coffey looked around but didn't see Winnie. He asked gently, "Will it take so long to bandage Winnie?"
Raman looked up, his expression grim as he surveyed his surroundings: "Could something have gone wrong?"
Gardner pulled out a chair and said casually, "Who knows what she's up to? I'm hungry, let's go eat."
He called out to Chu Xuange, "Let's go, Biler."
Chu Xuange pulled Pei Hening to the restaurant.
Coffey smiled and said to Raman, "Let's eat first, there's no rush to find Winnie."
Raman paused, then finally followed them to eat.
——
The first day of the instance starts at 4 PM.
Winnie is dead.
He died in the infirmary, strangled with a thin rope.
She died a gruesome death, her eyes wide open as if she had seen something unbelievable.
There were signs of a violent struggle, and the once beautiful white uniform had turned dusty and gray.
The most shocking thing was the scratches on her neck.
After everyone checked, they found that she had scratched herself, and there were bits of flesh from her neck in the crevices of her fingernails.
The atmosphere was unusually tense as everyone stood at the scene of the murder.
After a moment of silence, Kofi spoke up: "It's quite dangerous here. Everyone be careful, don't die."
After leaving the scene, the group went to the living room.
Raman was clearly having a hard time accepting Winnie's death.
Gardner stood by the window, a cigarette dangling from his lips, gazing at the surroundings with an unreadable expression.
Pei Hening, Chu Xuange, and Kofi continued reading the newspaper.
Pei Hening finished reading all the newspapers; it was already 7 p.m.
She had a vague idea about the young master's disappearance.
However, the evidence is insufficient to connect the dots.
And why kill Winnie?
After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
——
Pei Hening came out of the bathroom in her pajamas after taking a shower, her hair still dripping wet, when she heard a knock on the door.
She picked up the dagger from the bed, went to the door, and asked, "Who is it?"
"Baby, it's me."
The man's voice was low, husky, and sexy, tinged with a smile.
She opened the door a crack and, after confirming that the person outside was indeed Chu Xuange, let him in.
Chu Xuange placed the gun he had been playing with in his hand into Pei Hening's hand.
He picked up the towel she had thrown on the bed, hugged her, and sat down on the sofa.
He gently wiped her long hair with a towel using his large, well-defined hands.
Pei Hening nestled in his arms, half asleep.
Chu Xuange cupped her face, kissed her, and asked gently, "Baby, have you figured out what happened in this dungeon? Are you confident you can clear this F-rank dungeon?"
Pei Hening nodded: "With a general idea, passing the level shouldn't be a problem."
Chu Xuange tucked a strand of hair that had fallen to the side of her face behind her ear and asked softly, "Does the baby need my help?"
Pei Hening leaned against his broad chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat, her eyelids drooping: "No need, you have to trust me."
Seeing that she was extremely sleepy, Chu Xuange chuckled, supported her hips with his strong arms, and picked her up: "You're sleepy, let's go to sleep."
Pei Hening wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his neck: "Mmm, carry me to sleep."
Chu Xuange placed his treasure in the center of the bed and turned to go into the bathroom.
When he came out of the shower, still feeling chilly, wearing a bathrobe, Pei Hening was already asleep.
He lifted the covers and lay down, pulling her into his arms, smelling her scent, and sighing contentedly.
Pei Hening subconsciously found a comfortable spot in his arms and snuggled up, falling into a deep sleep again.
Listening to her soft breathing, Chu Xuange's empty heart was gradually filled.
He looked at the person in his arms, like a ship lost in a silent, deep sea on the verge of despair seeing a lighthouse representing hope.
It was exactly midnight.
Chu Xuange heard heavy footsteps coming from the corridor. The footsteps grew louder and louder until they stopped on the opposite side—it was 302.
Room 302 is occupied by Gardner.
Chu Xuange's eyes darkened as he embraced Pei Hening and closed his eyes to sleep.
——
Day 2 of the instance.
When Pei Hening woke up, Chu Xuange had already left.
She dressed neatly, opened the door, and went out.
The door next door opened, and Chu Xuange, wearing a hood, came out of the room and silently walked to her side.
The doors to rooms 301 and 303 opened, and Kofi and Raman came out.
Raman yawned and asked, "Gardner isn't up yet?"