Chapter 166 - 164: A Living Safe
The sensation of a cold blade slicing through skin sent a shudder through her body.
Jiang Li’s heart stopped. She held her breath, watching in terror what her hands would do next.
Her stomach was sliced open, revealing a bloody gash. Then, she grabbed something from beside her and stuffed it inside.
Jiang Li felt a wave of dizziness, nearly scared to death. Suddenly, she saw the thing she was holding. It was money!
After stuffing the object inside, she picked up a needle and thread and began to sew...
!
"AHHHHHHH!"
The instant the needle pierced her skin, Jiang Li screamed aloud. Her eyes flew open, and she stared at the ceiling, her heart still pounding with fear.
She lay there for a moment to recover, then pulled a tissue from the nightstand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and neck.
With a trembling hand, she picked up the phone beside her and called Ji Qinghe.
The call connected almost immediately.
"Jiang Li, what’s wrong?"
Her mind still reeling, Jiang Li leaned against the headboard and told her about the dream.
Ji Qinghe was shocked into silence. It was a long moment before she finally spoke.
"You’re saying someone hid money inside their own stomach...?"
"Yes. She did the whole thing herself, and even sewed it back up."
Jiang Li’s voice trembled as she recalled the skin-crawling sensation.
"Okay. I’ll have my people keep an eye on the hospitals and clinics."
After a procedure that dangerous, she’ll have to go to a hospital or a clinic.
"Okay." Jiang Li hung up the phone, unable to suppress a shudder.
But she was much braver now. As long as she didn’t have to face the gore directly, she was generally fine.
She got out of bed, washed up, and went out to the living room. Jiang Li sat down; the others were all busy with their own things.
It felt a little strange to suddenly have nothing to do.
After breakfast, Jiang Li received a call from Ji Qinghe. Her voice was a mixture of anger and resignation.
"You remember that older woman we ran into at the airport? That was her."
Ji Qinghe let out a breath at the thought.
"Her name is Fan Hui, fifty-two years old. She was sneaking out this morning when, partway to her destination, the stitches on her stomach burst. Terrified passersby called for an ambulance and the police.
"She’d been scammed out of two hundred thousand by a fraud ring before, and she became paranoid. She converted all her money to cash but wouldn’t even lock it in a safe.
"She probably worried about it constantly, became a bit extreme, and finally resorted to hiding the money in her own stomach."
Ji Qinghe herself shivered as she finished. ’Cutting open your own stomach, stuffing something inside, then sewing it back up... it’s horrifying.’
"We’ve already contacted her family. They should be arriving soon. I’ll call you back later."
Ji Qinghe spoke in a hurry, then hung up.
Jiang Li put down her phone and glanced at her own stomach. She quickly looked away, then tentatively touched it. It was perfectly intact.
Jiang Li spent her idle time at home monitoring the news online. A few days later, she saw a story about the Huang Family.
Huang Nianci was hosting a recognition banquet for Hu Ping’an. Just as Jiang Li saw the news, she received an invitation personally delivered by Huang Nianci’s butler.
Jiang Li looked at the invitation in her hand and thought for a few seconds before deciding to go. The banquet was in five days.
Jiang Li told Wu Ming about it, and Wu Ming immediately insisted on dragging her to the mall to buy clothes.
"That’s a major event! We have to get dolled up. I can promote my business while I’m there!"
Wu Ming grinned at Jiang Li. After all this time chasing criminals with her, she hadn’t been able to focus on her "real" business. She was worried she was getting rusty.
"You... you have another business?" Jiang Li asked, looking at Wu Ming in surprise.
"Of course!" Wu Ming raised a proud eyebrow. "The market’s saturated these days, it’s not easy to get by. To make money, you’ve got to be a jack-of-all-trades."
Jiang Li nodded in agreement. ’Competition is fierce in every field nowadays; it really is tough to make a living.’
"No need to buy anything. Miss Huang already prepared things for us," Jiang Li said, pointing to the boxes placed to the side.
Wu Ming’s eyes lit up. She ran over and opened a box. "Wow, they’re custom-made! I’ve really made it! I actually get to wear a custom-made gown!"
Wu Ming picked up the bag with her name on it, took out the gown inside, and held it up against herself.
’It’s beautiful! I love it!’
With stars in her eyes, Wu Ming looked at Jiang Li, then rushed forward to wrap her in a hug and plant two loud smooches on her cheek.
’She just knew it. Sticking with Jiang Li was definitely the right choice.’
Yu Huannian, just back from a workout, walked in the door to see Wu Ming clinging to Jiang Li like an octopus. A look of disgust crossed his face.
"Xiao Nian, Miss Huang invited us to her banquet. These are the clothes she prepared for us."
Jiang Li pointed to the bags on the floor. Yu Huannian went over, glanced at them, then picked up his own and went back to his room.
Miao Anji heard the commotion and came out of his room. He stroked his chin as he looked at the bags on the floor.
’Would these clothes have any hiding spots for my little bugs?’
Miao Anji picked up his bag anyway and opened it. Inside was a red-and-blue Miao Clan outfit, quite different from his usual navy and black ones.
Miao Anji took it out, his mood lifting. Inside, there was also a thoughtfully prepared set of matching silver jewelry.
He picked them up for a closer look. ’A pity there are no holes, but I can make some myself.’
’I thought it would be a Western suit,’ Jiang Li mused, ’I didn’t expect it to be a Miao Clan outfit.’
Miao Anji noticed Jiang Li’s expression and happily carried the clothes back to his room.
He dumped his own accessories onto the table with a clatter, changed into the new clothes, then happily started putting his full ensemble together.
Half an hour later, Miao Anji came happily out of his room and did a little twirl in front of Jiang Li.
"Sister, does it look good?"
Jiang Li and Wu Ming stared at Miao Anji, amazed. The red-and-blue color scheme gave him a lively air. The silver ornament on his chest was more intricate than his usual ones, another set was wrapped around his waist, and he had adorned his hair, the tips of his ears, his earlobes, and his hands—every possible place was decorated.
"This is more over-the-top than any dress-up game I’ve ever played."
Wu Ming couldn’t help but comment. Despite the sheer number of ornaments, nothing felt out of place.
"It looks great," Jiang Li said with a smile and a nod. Miao Anji’s hair had grown; it used to reach his chest, but now it was nearly to his waist.
Miao Anji noticed Jiang Li staring at his hair. He glanced down at it. ’It has gotten a bit long.’
"Do you want to cut it for me, Sister?"
Jiang Li snapped out of her daze at Miao Anji’s question. "We can cut it if you want, but it looks good like this, too."
Miao Anji shook his head. "Then let’s not cut it." ’Long hair is good for hiding things,’ he thought.
That night, Jiang Li turned on her aromatherapy diffuser to help her sleep. ’Based on how often these dreams happen,’ she thought, ’I shouldn’t be so unlucky as to have another one so soon.’
But as it turned out, she had been too optimistic.
Devoid of emotion, she grabbed a man by the hair and walked down a long, narrow hallway. The air was thick with a foul stench.