Chapter 837 Returning Home

Melody pushed her sister into the car and then ran to start it, speeding away without looking back. She didn't know the way, and in this situation, she couldn't rely on her sister to guide her. Her sister's eyesight wasn't good, it was pitch dark, and she was worried about her brother. Melody drove blindly, relying on instinct. They stopped only when the car ran out of gas and could go no further. The shadows of their pursuers were long gone. The night was thick and impenetrable, and in the boundless darkness, only their pounding hearts and heavy breaths could be heard. Her sister sat in the seat, looking out the window, then at Melody with confusion. "The car is broken, isn't it? We can't escape anymore? Then what about my brother?" Melody's mind was a mess. She had only wanted to come out and wait for death peacefully, but what had it turned into? "Give me his phone." After a moment, she asked her sister for Long Yifei's phone. Her sister obediently handed over Long Yifei's phone and unlocked it for her. Melody searched through it and quickly found the jobs Long Yifei had taken on. It was true, as he had said, that even the police couldn't save him; the work he did was unspeakable. However, having formed a connection, Melody couldn't bring herself to abandon him and her sister at this point. After much thought, she decided to call Lu Qingxu. Although she knew the consequences of making the call and what she would face, she dialed it anyway. Lu Qingxu was still awake at this hour. The moment the phone rang, his familiar, cool voice came through. Melody's heart instantly settled. "It's me." Lu Qingxu seemed to have guessed it was her, and his emotions weren't greatly affected; he wasn't the raging storm she had expected. "Where are you? Whose phone is this?" "I've run into some trouble. I'll send you my location. Find someone to help me as soon as possible." Melody was surprised that Lu Qingxu arrived so quickly, in less than an hour. He drove a car by himself, bringing two others. The engines were still running, and their headlights illuminated their direction, making the eerie, cold night bright. Melody took her sister's hand and got out of the car. Lu Qingxu leaned against his car, watching her, but he didn't approach. Melody knew he was angry, even extremely disappointed in her. But saving lives was paramount; settling scores could wait. She led her sister towards him. When they were still a few steps away, Lu Qingxu stopped her. "Stop." His face was expressionless, his voice cold. "Say it here. What happened?" Melody concisely explained her relationship with the Long siblings, Long Yifei's current predicament, and her hope that Lu Qingxu would save him. "Do you like him?" After hearing the story, this was the only thing Lu Qingxu cared about. Melody shook her head. "I lived in their house for so long, eating and staying for free. They didn't mistreat me. At a time like this, I can't abandon them." "What if you abandoned them?" "You know I don't like owing moral debts. Otherwise, I wouldn't have left your side," Melody looked at him. "I always believed you understood me. Even if no one else did, you should know what I'm thinking." He did understand her. But understanding didn't mean he could accept her actions. Melody had underestimated his love. If he were a woman, or if he simply sought the happiness of having someone by his side, why would he have sought her out specifically? She didn't seem to realize how important she was to him. Lu Qingxu was determined to make her realize it this time. "I can help you with this, but it's not without conditions." After nearly two months apart, Lu Qingxu was different. He dared to look at her with such an unyielding expression, and Melody knew he was serious. Her heart felt both sour and sweet. "Tell me." "Come back with me for surgery. From now on, you'll do as I say. Otherwise, not only will I not help him, but I will expose everything he's done." When Lu Qingxu arrived with his men, the house had already been burned to ruins. There was no need to save anyone; Long Yifei lay on the open ground in front of the door, having already breathed his last. Her sister got out of the car, and upon seeing it was her brother, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted. Lu Qingxu took Melody directly back to Nancheng. Zhan Beijue was unaware of Melody's elopement this time. In addition to the group's major and minor affairs, he was also engaged in a battle of wits with Mr. Gao in his spare time, and Lu Qingxu dared not disturb him. He had intended to commit suicide to atone if Melody didn't return, and to accompany her. But now that she was back, everything that had happened during this period could be turned into a joke. Upon learning of her willfulness and her long absence, Zhan Beijue didn't need to say anything; Zhan's mother gave her a stern lecture. She then quickly arranged for a hospital and had Melody admitted to begin her surgery as soon as possible. Melody agreed to the surgery, but she had one last wish before being admitted: for Long Yifei's sister. "If I don't come out safely, if I fall on the operating table, Xiao Wu will be entrusted to you. She has no other relatives in this world. Please don't dislike her; treat her as your own sister." Melody handed Long Yifei's phone and wallet to Zhan Beijue. "These are his brother's belongings. Please keep them for me. This is the password. I hope I can come out." Zhan Beijue agreed, and she entered the operating room. He and Lu Qingxu sat on opposite sides, idly flipping through their phones. As he scrolled, Zhan Beijue discovered that Long Yifei's phone held many secrets. His contact list was encrypted, but the password was easy to decipher. Zhan Beijue cracked it without much effort. He then saw that all the contacts in his address book were identified by codenames, and some of these codenames were precisely what he was currently investigating. Melody had said Long Yifei was not in a legitimate business, but he hadn't expected it to be such a coincidence that it was this very industry. Not only were there a large number of call records that hadn't been deleted, but there were also internal WeChat groups with many short, encrypted chat records that hadn't been deleted. His subordinates were at a loss, struggling to find evidence of Mrs. Gao hiring them. Now, fate had delivered it to his doorstep. Zhan Beijue immediately called Ah Zhong, asking him to come and get the phone. Based on the codenames in the phone, they would investigate these people one by one. He refused to believe that everyone was a tough guy, that everyone was flawless, and that everyone had been taken care of in advance. Find one, pry open his mouth, and the tree that was Mr. Gao would surely come crashing down. Melody's return and her decision to undergo surgery also became known to Lu Mingzhe and Xiang Wan. They had been worried for two months and naturally rushed back to see her. Thus, on the night of Melody's surgery, the friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time finally gathered.