Chapter 106: "Wu Youai’s Mentor Chu Zhuohua":

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Perhaps aware of Jing Shu’s concerns, the now-satisfied Yang Yang comforted her: “Don’t worry, Zhang Qiang surely knows much more than the others. These sewer rats can’t hide for long.” No wonder Old Niu liked this family—they were very shrewd.

Now, how should they arrange for Wu Youai’s recovery? Bringing her back to Jing Shu’s family would only worry them to death and upset the elderly. It might be better to let her recover before returning home.

Jing Shu noticed Wu Youai’s phone on the table, set to airplane mode. When reconnected to the network, the phone began to beep incessantly with notifications—99 missed calls, all from someone labeled “Mentor.”

No one in Wu Youai’s family knew she had been captured. Even her aunt was still cooking at Ai Jia supermarket, unaware. Wang Dazhao had mentioned that not even she knew about Wu Youai’s abduction.

Seeing the calls from her “Mentor,” Jing Shu’s eyes lit up. This mentor that Wu Youai always talked about—was he reliable? Maybe she could temporarily place Wu Youai in his care for a few days.

Jing Shu dialed the number, and the phone was answered almost immediately. A deep, raspy voice asked, “Who are you?”

Jing Shu: “???”

This left Jing Shu completely bewildered. If this was really Wu Youai’s mentor and he finally saw her return his call, shouldn’t he be asking where she was or why she hadn’t answered? Had this mentor really called 99 times without saving Wu Youai’s number?

Or had her mentor already figured out that Wu Youai had been kidnapped?

While Jing Shu was lost in thought, the voice on the other end continued, “Where is Wu Youai? You can state your terms directly, but I need to ensure she’s alive.”

Jing Shu: “...”

“Are you Wu Youai’s mentor?” Jing Shu asked, wanting to confirm the identity.

“You captured Wu Youai but aren’t targeting me? You don’t know who I am?” The voice on the other end was now questioning Jing Shu.

What, does he think the whole world knows who he is? Jing Shu couldn’t take it anymore. No wonder Wu Youai’s mentor seemed as eccentric as she was. “Are you Wu Youai’s mentor or not? If you’re not, I’m hanging up.”

A deep voice replied, “I am. Where is Wu Youai? What do you want?”

*Emmm*, if he had just said that from the start, it would have saved a nonsensical conversation. Wu Youai’s mentor seemed to have some kind of “everyone’s out to get me” complex.

Jing Shu squinted. “Wu Youai was injured, but she’s fine now. I’m her cousin. I saw you called so many times and wanted to reassure you.”

“Where is she?”

“Next to Ai Jia Supermarket, in the office building.”

“Wait there. I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”

*Beep beep beep...* The call was cut off. Well, that wasn’t like a regular conversation. He had hung up before she could even finish her sentence.

While waiting, Jing Shu sent her parents home, not wanting them to come up. They might not be able to handle the grim scene of what had happened.

“Don’t worry, cousin. It was a false alarm. She wasn’t captured. She’s currently with her mentor, working on something important. Once they’re done, I’ll have her video call you.”

“You two should head back to the villa. It’s not safe with Grandpa and Grandma alone there. Officer Yang Yang will make sure I’m safe and take me home.”

Anesthetist Alan also left, fluttering his fingers as he said, “Give the pig leg to Yang Yang. He’ll bring it to me. Call me if you need me again. I’m practically half a doctor now.”

Yang Yang pulled out his long revolver and began another round of interrogation with Zhang Qiang. Jing Shu, after settling her family matters, noticed that Wu Youai’s mentor had arrived—exactly 9 minutes and 45 seconds later. Impressive.

However, Wu Youai’s mentor then got lost in the office building, wasting an additional 20 minutes.

Jing Shu had to use location sharing to track him down on the fifth floor, where she found Wu Youai’s mentor and the two large men following him, who looked exasperated—this was apparently not the first time this had happened.

Jing Shu had assumed that Wu Youai’s mentor would be in his fifties or sixties, considering his status. But to her surprise, he was much younger. He had long, straight black hair and wore all-black clothing, looking completely out of place in the modern world. His slanted eyes gave off an air of coldness. Despite getting lost, he still acted arrogantly. “Lead the way.”

Jing Shu suddenly wondered: Did Wu Youai choose to study under this man for his looks or his knowledge? Jing Shu guessed it was the former.

When they reached their destination and saw the uniformed police, Wu Youai’s mentor and the two men finally relaxed and even struck up a conversation with them. That’s when Jing Shu learned that they, too, were part of the police force and that Wu Youai’s mentor was named Chu Zhuohua.

“How did these injuries happen?” Chu Zhuohua asked.

Jing Shu explained how Wu Youai had been captured and that, upon rescuing her, they found that all the other hostages had been tortured to death. Only Wu Youai had survived, and she described the steps taken to treat her wounds.

“You’re the Jing Shu that Wu Youai always talks about—the one who defies the laws of biology?” Chu Zhuohua sized her up, his eyes gleaming with curiosity, as if she were some kind of research subject.

Jing Shu: “???”

...

In the end, Wu Youai was taken to Chu Zhuohua’s place to recover. After conducting several investigations, Jing Shu concluded that Chu Zhuohua was trustworthy for the time being. Plus, Jing Shu would drive over every day to deliver food to Wu Youai and had even installed a hidden camera in her room.

That afternoon, Jing Shu returned to the villa and gave Yang Yang a black pig as promised. Later that night, she explained to her family that Wu Youai would be staying with her mentor to study for a while, even sending them a video to ease their worries. With that, the day’s events were finally settled.

It had been a thrilling day. Jing Shu was exhausted but felt that, despite the loss of several large stones and over a hundred liters of gasoline, she had gained a grenade as spoils and successfully rescued Wu Youai. Overall, it was a win.

That evening, despite her fatigue, Jing Shu pushed herself to practice with her Rubik’s Cube. Though not in the best state of mind, she forced herself through the monotonous practice, understanding the importance of the cube after today’s events. She was determined to level it up as soon as possible.

Over and over again...

Without realizing it, she became faster and faster, though she didn’t notice. She only felt tired.

With a final "click," she pressed the timer for the last time, her consciousness fading. She vaguely remembered that she had broken her personal record.

Then, for the third time, her mind exploded with a roaring sound, and she completely lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground.

“Cluck cluck cluck!”

“Moo~”

“Oink oink!”

The next day, Jing Shu was awakened by a cacophony of noises. Her head felt like it was about to explode, as the sounds of chickens, cows, and pigs clashed in her mind.

Groggily opening her eyes, the sounds continued, making it feel as though she was in an entirely new world.

“My Rubik’s Cube space has upgraded again!”

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*Author’s note*: A little cutie suggested creating a group. What do you all prefer—QQ group or WeChat group?