Special Forces Medic

Chapter 1190: Hitting Several Birds with One Stone

From the conversation between the two men, Murong Lengyue picked up on something. As a woman—a beautiful woman—being ignored, regardless of the situation, always carries with it a sense of being underestimated. Especially for someone like Murong Lengyue, a proud woman who’s been esteemed and praised for a long time, she wouldn’t tolerate being overlooked.

So, after witnessing the quarrel between the two men, she stood up abruptly, making the leather sofa emit a loud sound. This finally made the two men turn their heads slightly to look at her. Yet, this gaze only made things more awkward, as they just looked at her without saying a word. This left Murong Lengyue, who planned to speak proudly after they asked what was wrong, frozen in place.

Yelü Shou curled his lips and glared at Lao Jiu. Ever since their return from the Deserted Island, they had become quarrelsome adversaries. This was a nickname given to them by Troy. Their daily verbal sparring always escalated to physical fights before being thrown out by the others, finally bringing peace to the room. As Consort Ling would say, they were too energetic in their youth, or they simply had nothing better to do.

Lao Jiu glared back at Yelü Shou. Amidst their constant bickering, their tacit understanding rapidly increased. So when Yelü Shou fell silent, he too stopped speaking. On the matter of cunning, he would honestly admit defeat, but in other areas, he believed he surpassed this guy.

"Xiao Lin didn’t instruct you to detain me, did he?" Murong Lengyue broke the silence, her voice slightly sharp, seemingly wanting to hear the truth from their mouths. "You intentionally stopped Young Master Wu to weaken those around me, just to keep me detained here for a long time. Why are you doing this? Where is Xiao Lin? I want to see him. You have no right to do this."

"Miss Murong, you overestimate us. Without Xiao Lin’s orders, how dare we detain you?" Hua Qingyi’s fingers and arms were wrapped in bandages, and he appeared at the door draped in a shirt, his beautiful face mottled with bruises, proving the earlier encounter was not easy.

"No, impossible! He wouldn’t do that." Murong Lengyue screamed. "I just spoke to him on the phone, and Shao Weihua has agreed to release Xia Xue. It should be... should be... on the way..."

Murong Lengyue eyed Hua Qingyi’s uncertain smile and realized it was already seven or eight o’clock in the evening. Three or four hours had passed since contact with Shao Qinyi; even from the other side of Palermo, people should have arrived by now. Her beautiful eyes revealed distrust.

"Looks like you’ve realized the crux of the problem. No one is bringing Xia Xue here, and while you were on the phone with Xiao Lin, he was on his way to another city in Sicily. Robert is where he will exchange for the hostage. In other words, you lied to us."

"No, I did not." Murong Lengyue took a step back.

"We don’t care if you lied. That’s between you and Xiao Lin. However he perceives you, I don’t know. But the reassurance you provided can’t be realized. Whether it’s you deceiving us or Shao Weihua playing tricks, it doesn’t matter. We’re not interested in your deal with Shao Qinyi. Until Xiao Lin safely brings back Xia Xue, you’ll stay here."

"That’s not it, I can explain where Xiao Lin is." Murong Lengyue was a bit anxious; she didn’t want to be misunderstood.

"Explain? You mean reveal everything about your dealings with Shao Qinyi?" Hua Qingyi chuckled lightly, blinking as he looked at Yelü Shou.

"There’s no way you can make a clear explanation publicly or privately," Yelü Shou continued Hua Qingyi’s words. "Your motive for getting rid of Xia Xue is clear, though, who’d have thought you’d act so impulsively?"

"I told you I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Xiao Lin."

"Hmm! Perhaps you wouldn’t do it yourself, but using someone else is a different matter." Yelü Shou shook his head. "I’ve always been curious about one thing. Robert is a smart person. Why would he provoke your Murong family now? With an ace in hand, why would he want to add the trouble of having you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Simple!" Hua Qingyi lit a cigarette, his lips twitching as the bruise on his cheek caused a bit of pain. "Your intentions."

"I and Shao Qinyi arrived in Palermo at the same time. You surely knew I’d be at the conference. Xia Xue’s secretary is your person, right? With Xia Xue’s trust in her, you must have known Xiao Lin’s whereabouts, which is why you coincidentally appeared at the conference. For Wang Zhanting, I had to be there, giving you the opportunity to take Xia Xue away. You know you can’t hide this from Xiao Lin; with Yelü Shou involved, such a significant move cannot possibly be covered up."

"This doesn’t mean I’m deceiving Xiao Lin. I’ve already told him everything." Murong Lengyue retorted.

"Hmm! Which is why I said Xiao Lin is more benevolent than us," Yelü Shou continued. "You’ve always liked playing counterintelligence and reconnaissance games, haven’t you? While Xiao Lin uses you, aren’t you also using him? The difference is that he’s honest, and you’re sly. You orchestrating being shot at shifts the blame to Robert—a brilliant ploy hitting many targets with one stone. Sacrificing a Robert could yield many benefits: first, Xia Xue gets eliminated; second, Shao Weihua’s power weakens; third, Palermo’s underground network reshuffles; fourth, this is the agreement between you and Shao Qinyi; and fifth, with you and Xiao Lin, I imagine you’ll solemnly vow to help him. How would that kind-hearted person reward you? Marriage? The premise is that Xia Xue gets removed for you to have a chance."

Hua Qingyi and Yelü Shou alternated seamlessly, analyzing the event from start to finish. They then stared directly at Murong Lengyue. They simultaneously shared the feeling that the woman before them was terrifying. Every detail carried calculations. This was already part of her life, instinctively living by scheming—whether to pity or lament her was unknown.

"Robert really intended to kill me. Were those bullets that pierced Xiao Lin fake?"

"Hmm! You wanted him gone, and others aren’t fools—waiting around to be killed by you? That’s why your bodyguards showed up so late that night."

"No matter what you think, I didn’t intend to harm Xiao Lin." Murong Lengyue plopped down in a chair. "Don’t you think you should stop Xiao Lin? Letting him go alone—isn’t it risky?"

"There’s nothing lacking here. You can move around freely but can’t leave the third floor."

After Hua Qingyi spoke, he left the room with Yelü Shou, leaving Murong Lengyue sitting there. Though the light shone brightly, Murong Lengyue felt engulfed in darkness. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)