CHAPTER 706: CHAPTER 701: DESTROYING THE EVIDENCE

Xu He stared at the lock on the door, wishing she could stare a hole through it.

Removing the lock was easy; she could just smash it with something and then tell Luo Cuilan she needed to urgently fetch something since they lived close by and often shared belongings anyway.

But if she did that, she worried Luo Cuilan might suspect her when she returned.

After all, it was Xu He’s first time doing something harmful to others. Even though she was strong-willed, she was still terrified, trembling all over, and constantly uneasy. She was afraid of exposing herself even over trivial matters, so she dared not act rashly.

She looked at the lock, thinking perhaps she could just find an excuse later when Luo Zhiming returned to have him break the lock.

Although she planned this in her mind, she was still scared that Luo Cuilan and the others might suddenly come back, and maybe bring the police with them. If that happened, those poisoned cookies would be immediately discovered, and she might not be safe from investigation. Worried, she dared not even stray far from Luo Cuilan’s door and just lingered around outside.

As Xu He anxiously paced back and forth at Luo Cuilan’s doorstep, a sudden shout pierced the quiet courtyard, "Are you Xu He?"

Xu He jumped, and immediately lifted her head looking toward the person who called her name, only to see a roughly twenty-something young man in a blue jacket and long hair, exuding a ruffian vibe.

Xu He couldn’t remember if she had seen this person before but felt he looked somewhat familiar, and just kept staring dumbfounded.

Seeing Xu He not responding, the young man walked straight over, sized her up, and seemed to recognize her but was still uncertain as he asked, "Are you Xu He, the one whose man owes our boss money?"

Hearing about debts, Xu He immediately thought of Shuanzi.

This person mentioned ’boss’ and Luo Zhiming owing money, so it’s very likely their boss was Shuanzi.

However, Xu He didn’t ask directly and just watched him warily, "Who are you?"

Confirming she was Xu He, a hint of a smile appeared on the young man’s face; that smile, how should I put it, was faint, as if laced with some contempt, yet seemed somewhat reluctant to show it completely—a bit contradictory, also later his face seemed somewhat fawning.

He introduced himself while looking at Xu He, "My name is Xibao, underling of Brother Shuanzi. Brother Shuanzi wants to see you, come with me."

Knowing this person was sent by Shuanzi, and just now Xibao also mentioned the debt matter, plus Xu He calculated that it had been a few months since Shuanzi last gave Luo Zhiming time to gather money. Xu He suspected Shuanzi was here to collect, so she immediately denied, "I don’t know any Shuanzi, whoever owes him money should deal with it, don’t involve me; I’m busy here."

Hearing this, as if truly afraid Xu He won’t go, Xibao quickly said, "What are you busy with? I can help you finish it, then you come meet my boss. He specifically asked me to bring you. If you don’t go, I’ll be punished by my boss."

Xu He glanced at Xibao, shook her head, and turned to leave, "I already said I’m not going, I don’t know Shuanzi."

But before she could take a step, Xibao suddenly muttered behind her, "You might not recognize it, but the child in your belly does."

Upon hearing this, Xu He froze for a moment, then her heart nearly leaped to her throat. She quickly turned around and stammered at Xibao, "What... what do you mean?"

Xibao seemed to understand why Xu He was so nervous. He looked around, seeing that no one was nearby, yet he still lowered his voice and said, "You know what I mean, if you refuse to come along, don’t blame me for talking to your man about this child."

"You..." Xu He was so frightened that her face turned pale and she dared not make a sound.

Seeing this, Xibao softened his tone a bit, as if persuading her, "Come on, my brother Shuanzi said he needs to see you for something, he won’t mistreat you."

"Alright then." Xu He realized she had no choice but to go. She wanted to see what Shuanzi was up to. She decided to go but remembered the poisoned cookies at home. She glanced at Xibao and suddenly said, "But see if you can find a way to unlock this door for me. I need to grab something, and then I’ll immediately follow you."

Xibao looked at the lock and quickly agreed, "Sure, that’s a piece of cake."

After saying this, Xibao reached out to mess with the lock, looking like he was going to wreck it.

Xu He immediately stopped him, "Don’t smash it, make sure not to damage the lock, so no one can tell someone broke in."

Hearing this, Xibao was puzzled but cleverly responded, "Alright, I’ll try."

Most of Shuanzi’s men were ruffians. Not every one of them committed serious crimes, but small thefts were nothing new to them, and picking such simple locks was extremely easy. Xibao found a piece of wire in the yard and quickly got the lock open.

Seeing the lock open, Xu He was relieved. She didn’t care that someone else was present, or perhaps she thought others wouldn’t interfere. No longer hesitant, she rushed inside and took several packets of cookies she had poisoned from the table.

Coming out with the cookies, just as Xibao was about to close the door for her, Xu He hurriedly called out to him, "Wait, I have another thing to do."

With that said, Xu He quickly ran back into her house and took several more packets of the same cookies, placing them where she had removed the others, even counting the number of cookies she had opened very carefully.

Xibao watched her series of actions from outside, narrowing his eyes slightly. Though he didn’t speak, he was making some assessments in his mind.

This woman must be involved in some disreputable deeds, disposing of evidence here. Ordinary people might not react so quickly, but having done these things so often, they could tell right away.

However, this woman was specifically requested by their boss to meet, naturally he knew what should be said and what shouldn’t.

After Xu He finished handling everything, she returned home for a moment, took the packets of cookies, and said to Xibao, "Let’s go, meet your boss."

Xibao nodded and gestured for Xu He to follow him.

As the two walked together, Xibao noticed Xu He holding the packets of cookies, the expression on her face very tense. Several times, as she passed garbage piles, it seemed like she wanted to throw away the cookies. But after deliberating, she ultimately didn’t toss them, instead holding them tightly, which made them seem like a hot potato at one moment and a precious treasure the next.