Chapter 153: There’s Definitely Something Wrong With Her

Zhu Dazhuang saw his underling return alone and guessed that Er Kui must be throwing another tantrum and refusing to come.

His tone was unpleasant as he said, “Wait a minute. Can’t you see the boss is enjoying his meal?”

The underling looked anxious, sweat beading on his forehead. “Second-in-command, Er Kui, he…”

Zhu Dazhuang shot him a fierce glare.

Why is this kid so clueless?

Er Kui had always refused to join the base, which already made the boss unhappy. Now, on the boss’s birthday banquet, he wouldn’t even show up—how disrespectful! If this matter was brought up privately, it would be one thing, but if this underling blurted it out in front of everyone, wouldn’t that embarrass the boss?

He gave his subordinate a warning look, signaling him to shut up.

The underling had no choice but to stand aside, words stuck in his throat.

An Nan was sitting quite close to them and naturally heard the words “Er Kui-ge.”

She unconsciously straightened up, every muscle tensing in preparation.

Gu Zhiyu, sensitive as ever, noticed her reaction. He glanced at the uneasy underling, deep in thought.

Hou Jianming, who was eating, also heard their conversation, but deliberately ignored it, calmly savoring the food.

After tasting each dish, he praised, “Mm! Dazhuang, I didn’t expect you to be not only good at fighting, but also such a great cook!”

As he spoke, he picked up a few more bites.

Looking up, he saw An Meili not far away, staring intently at Zhu Dazhuang. His brows furrowed, and he changed the subject:

“But your personality is a bit too rash. With more experience, you’ll be even better!”

Zhu Dazhuang had been delighted by the praise, but suddenly, the boss’s words turned into a subtle rebuke, and his smile froze on his face.

He shot a fierce glare at the underling who’d run over earlier.

It must be because of him that the boss was displeased.

Zhu Dazhuang bowed slightly. “Thank you for your guidance, big brother.”

Then, with a sincere expression, he said, “If it weren’t for your appreciation and support, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Please rest assured, I’ll work even harder in the future to make you proud!”

Zhu Dazhuang was humbling himself in front of all the brothers.

Hou Jianming grinned in satisfaction. “Dazhuang, you’re too modest! Come on, eat up!”

Only then did Zhu Dazhuang relax and sit back down.

The panicked underling, seeing everyone had gone back to eating, quickly sidled up to Zhu Dazhuang and whispered a few words in his ear.

Zhu Dazhuang’s hand, which was reaching for food, froze in midair. The next second, his chopsticks clattered to the ground.

“What did you say?!”

His voice was so loud it startled Hou Jianming.

The people chatting and drinking nearby all fell silent and turned to look at him.

Zhu Dazhuang suddenly stood up and grabbed the underling by the collar. “Say that again!”

Hou Jianming frowned in displeasure. “Dazhuang!”

What could be so important that he had to make a scene at his birthday banquet?

But Zhu Dazhuang couldn’t care less. He stared at his underling, eyes bloodshot.

The underling stammered, “S-second-in-command, Er Kui and all his men… they’re all dead…”

This time, his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.

Hou Jianming also stood up. “What did you say?!”

In the crowd, Gu Zhiyu glanced calmly at An Nan beside him.

An Nan’s expression was unchanged as she fiddled with the silver ring on her finger.

Zhu Dazhuang was shaking with emotion. “How could this happen?! How could Er Kui be dead?! Tell me exactly what happened!”

Tears welled up in the underling’s eyes. “People from Huijian Community said Er Kui and his men were all gunned down by assault rifles more than ten days ago…”

Before Zhu Dazhuang could say anything, Hou Jianming’s eyes widened. “Assault rifles?!”

Zhu Dazhuang turned to him, face full of disbelief. “Big brother…”

Hou Jianming gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Zhu Dazhuang immediately turned back and pressed the underling, “Speak! Who did it?!”

Watching their reactions, An Nan thoughtfully tapped her fingers on the table.

Hou Jianming was anxious now too and asked, “Hurry up, who has the assault rifles?”

He and Zhu Dazhuang clearly had different priorities.

One wanted to know who killed Er Kui.

The other cared more about who had such a powerful weapon.

The underling recalled nervously, “They say it was two women from Maple Forest Estate. One is called An Nan, the other Chu Peipei.”

Zhu Dazhuang gritted his teeth. “Maple Forest Estate…”

Hou Jianming looked shocked. “Women?”

Gu Zhiyu, sitting below, glanced at An Nan and whispered, “You really are calm as a mountain.”

An Nan curled her lips. “What’s there to be afraid of? I’m An Meili right now.”

Gu Zhiyu looked ahead. “Which one do you want to deal with later?”

An Nan: “Stick to the plan. The monkey’s yours, the pig’s mine.”

Gu Zhiyu: “Can you handle that raging wild boar?”

An Nan: “Thanks to Master’s guidance, it’s no problem. Besides, they’ve already ingested the knockout drug.”

Gu Zhiyu pursed his lips. “Not Master.”

An Nan: …

“Can you focus on the important things?”

Gu Zhiyu: “This is important.”

While the two of them bantered, the atmosphere around them had grown completely restless.

Led by Zhu Dazhuang, all the core members of the base put down their chopsticks and wine cups.

The whole courtyard echoed with thunderous shouts.

“Kill An Nan!”

“Kill Chu Peipei!”

“Kill An Nan!”

“Kill Chu Peipei!”

An Nan, sitting at the head table: …

Just then, the underling who’d brought the news seemed to remember something else:

“Oh right! They say An Nan is bald, and Chu Peipei has a dog. Both are easy to recognize!”

An Nan, blending in with the crowd: Bro, you got it backwards! I’m not bald…

At the mention of the dog, everyone immediately turned to look at An Nan at the table.

Under the scrutiny of hundreds of eyes, An Nan spoke slowly, “What are you all looking at me for?”

Zhu Dazhuang gritted his teeth. “You have a dog too!”

He’d long suspected this An Meili was off—her name, her background, everything was suspicious. Now his gut told him this woman was definitely connected to his brother’s killer!

An Nan remained calm. “I do have a dog, but my surname isn’t Chu, and I’m not Chu Peipei.”

Zhu Dazhuang: “But your surname is An!”

An Nan shamelessly replied, “So what if my surname is An? There are plenty of people with that surname! The people An Nan killed have nothing to do with me, An Meili!”

Zhu Dazhuang: “You—!”

Having just heard of his brother’s death, Zhu Dazhuang was burning with rage and lunged at her.

But Hou Jianming barked, “Dazhuang! Don’t take it out on others!”

Zhu Dazhuang’s eyes were bloodshot. “Big brother, believe me, there’s definitely something wrong with her!”"