Chapter 237 – Making the News
Tu Ran remained completely still, the faint curve of a smile lingering on her lips as she lowered her gaze to look down at him.
Unable to free his hand, Diao Hongzhi’s expression darkened with determination. He reached behind his back for his pistol.
The moment the gun was pointed at Tu Ran, she kicked his wrist with a sharp “crack,” breaking the bone. The gun flew across the room, landing in a corner five meters away.
“Disobedient,” Tu Ran muttered, increasing the pressure of her foot on his hand.
“Ahhh—” Diao Hongzhi collapsed to the ground, his body writhing in agony.
“Do you remember what I told you at the Songwu Research Base?” Tu Ran’s voice was icily calm.
Diao Hongzhi gritted his teeth, refusing to speak.
“I said the security department of the Pandalin District would be getting a new head. I made that clear, yet you still had the nerve to act arrogant in front of me. Is my word so unconvincing?”
Diao Hongzhi raised his head and glared at Tu Ran, spitting out his words through clenched teeth, “If I die, you won’t have an easy time either!”
“Are you talking about the surveillance?” Tu Ran raised an eyebrow and glanced toward the window. “If I remember correctly, there’s a camera aimed right at the window, isn’t there?”
She lifted her hand and silently waved at the camera.
Diao Hongzhi: “How do you know where the cameras are in my house?” He was baffled, thinking that the camera was well hidden.
“How could I come to see you without first investigating your house?” Tu Ran responded with a cold smile.
For the first time, Diao Hongzhi’s face showed a crack in his composure.
Panic flickered in his eyes as he looked at Tu Ran in terror, “W-who… who are you?”
Tu Ran smiled, but the smile never reached her eyes.
…
….
“Federation News Today:
At 6:42 PM yesterday evening, the head of security for the Pandalin District, surnamed Diao, was found dead in his bedroom. The cause of death was identified as a fractured skull.
According to the Supervision Department, before his death, Diao had been subjected to abuse, including a broken left wrist and five crushed fingers on his right hand. The perpetrator is still at large, and the Supervision Department is actively searching for clues. Citizens are advised to…”
Tu Ran switched to the science exploration channel and continued peeling an apple for Xi Chunzhi, who was lying in the hospital bed.
“Pandalin District… isn’t that the area you patrol?” Xi Chunzhi asked.
“Yes.” Tu Ran sliced the peeled apple into small pieces, placed them on a plate, inserted a fork, and handed it to Xi Chunzhi.
Xi Chunzhi accepted the plate, still pondering the news, “Head of security? I’ve only been unconscious for a few days, and there’s already a new position?”
“It’s been around for a while. It’s a role that was added specifically in Pandalin District. Other regions don’t have it,” Tu Ran urged him, “Why worry about it? Just eat.”
“Okay.” Xi Chunzhi took a bite of the apple. “To dare commit a home invasion, and to kill a department head no less, the culprit must be quite bold.”
Tu Ran wasn’t keen to continue the conversation.
There was something unsettling about seeing news reports of her own murder.
“Chunzhi, once our contract with the Federation expires, what do you plan to do?” Tu Ran asked, seemingly offhand.
“Me?” Xi Chunzhi put down the apple, seriously thinking it over before replying, “If I’m still alive by then, I think I’d like to become a bounty hunter.”
A bounty hunter?
Tu Ran raised an eyebrow, surprised yet not entirely—this fit Xi Chunzhi’s personality well.
“Why ask about this all of a sudden?”
“Would you want to start being a bounty hunter now?” Tu Ran asked casually.
“?” Xi Chunzhi frowned, sensing something off, and looked at Tu Ran. “What do you mean by that?”
“I have a way to get you out of the Federal Government right now,” Tu Ran said seriously, looking at Xi Chunzhi. “You don’t have to stay in the Pioneer Team anymore, and you don’t have to endure those fifteen years.”
Xi Chunzhi was startled and immediately glanced at the surveillance camera in the corner.
“Don’t worry about that, I’ve already disabled it,” Tu Ran said, gripping Xi Chunzhi’s arm tightly and drawing her attention back. “Now, I’m only asking you one thing—do you want to leave?”
Xi Chunzhi stared at Tu Ran and then nodded. “What about you? Will you come with me?”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Why?” Xi Chunzhi was puzzled. “If you can help me get out, surely you can find a way for yourself too, right?”
Tu Ran shook her head. “I’m working for someone else now. That person promised that if I stay here, he will ensure your safe departure.”
Xi Chunzhi fell silent, gazing at Tu Ran. After a long pause, she took a deep breath. “Xie Xu?”
“Hmm?” Tu Ran’s eyes widened—how did Xi Chunzhi know?! She had kept this from Xi Chunzhi the whole time.
Seeing her reaction, Xi Chunzhi knew she had guessed correctly. Frustrated, she lightly punched Tu Ran on the head.
“You’re still working for him?! You’re still slaving away for him? Tu Ran, get a grip! That man is full of ambition, obsessed with his career—there’s no place in his life for a woman! Do you really think he’ll ever have any feelings for you beyond work?!”
Tu Ran rubbed the spot on her head where a bump had formed and then disappeared, smacking her lips. “I stopped liking him a long time ago. I just think there’s a future working with him.”
Xi Chunzhi rolled her eyes, clearly not buying her nonsense.
“I’m serious. Look, I’ve already started negotiating with him. He agreed to let you leave the Pioneer Team, and I’ll continue working for him. I’m even spending his money now, using up all the salary he never paid me before,” Tu Ran weakly explained.
Xi Chunzhi’s demeanor grew colder by the second. “So, all this time, you were working for free?! He wasn’t even paying you?”
Tu Ran shivered—what now? The more she explained, the more tangled it became.
“Look… just tell me whether you’re willing or not.”
“No! Why would I leave you here alone to be his pawn? I’m afraid the next time I see you, it’ll be to collect your body!” Xi Chunzhi replied coldly, pushing the plate of apples away. She had lost her appetite.
Tu Ran nudged the plate back toward her.
Xi Chunzhi shot her a sharp look.
Tu Ran shrank back a little. “You have to trust me—I’m really not all about romance anymore! I’m making this decision for both our benefits. Right now, I want you to leave first. When the time is right, I’ll leave too, and then we can disappear together, far away where they can’t find us.”
“You really… don’t like Xie Xu anymore?” Xi Chunzhi wavered, studying Tu Ran closely, still a little skeptical.
Tu Ran nodded vigorously, like pounding garlic. “Really! I only see Xie Xu as my wealthy business partner now. It’s all about mutual benefit and getting what we each need.”
Hearing the words “mutual benefit” and “each need” from Tu Ran’s mouth, Xi Chunzhi started to believe her. After all, Tu Ran had once been the type who wouldn’t let anything taint her ideal of love.
“Fine, let’s talk about this after I get discharged. I’ve been lying here for so long, I’m about to throw up. I want a proper meal; I’m sick of congee,” Xi Chunzhi said, throwing off the blanket and getting ready to get out of bed.
Tu Ran knew this meant Xi Chunzhi had agreed.
Laughing, she teased her, “How can you get sick of congee made from real rice grown in the earth? Even a wild boar wouldn’t reject fine food like that!”
Xi Chunzhi gave her a hard kick on the backside, with surprising strength for someone just getting out of bed. “Say that again?!”
