CHAPTER 381: CHAPTER 381; CLEAN UP THIS PLACE

"Clean up this place. Capture anyone left breathing."

He didn’t look back as he strode through the corridor of corpses, Tang Fei cradled against his chest, his footsteps echoing with lethal finality. Blood squelched under his shoes.

The carnage seemed to part before him like a grotesque red sea.

He reached the sedan and slid inside with practiced ease, settling into the leather seat with Tang Fei arranged carefully across his lap.

"Fei Fei... Fei Fei..."

He murmured her name like a prayer, his fingers brushing blood-matted hair from her forehead. She appeared deeply asleep, her breathing even and slow.

He didn’t disturb her further. Instead, he extracted his phone with his free hand and pulled up his contacts, his thumb moving with sharp, decisive movements.

"Be at the mansion in ten minutes," he told the doctor, his tone brooking no argument. "Not eleven. Ten."

Secretary Li materialized at the scene moments later, slightly breathless, his usually composed face tight with concern.

"Ting Cheng, what happened?" His gaze swept over Tang Fei’s blood-soaked form, her peaceful expression at odds with the gore covering her. "Is she hurt?"

"No." The single word was clipped, final. "Take care of that place. Make sure those bodies are returned to their families with appropriate... discretion."

His eyes met Secretary Li’s, and something dangerous flickered in their depths.

"And Li? Make this disappear."

He tapped twice on the divider. "Drive."

The sedan pulled away smoothly, leaving behind a scene that would haunt the nightmares of everyone who’d witnessed it.

In the blood-soaked corridor, Twilight remained behind, her youthful face settling back into careful neutrality as she turned to assess the two rescued women huddled against the wall.

She had a mess to clean up. And a performance to continue.

— — — — — —

The Sedan pulled up to the mansion just after midnight. The grand estate was lit up despite the late hour, and Huo Ting Cheng’s jaw tightened when he spotted a figure waiting on the front steps.

Huo Minghao.

Huo Minghao sat on the top step, wrapped in a pink blanket, her dark eyes wide and alert despite the hour. When the car stopped, she jumped up and ran toward them.

"Daddy! You’re back!" Her voice was filled with relief, but it died in her throat when she saw her mother.

Huo Ting Cheng emerged from the car with Tang Fei still in his arms. In the mansion’s exterior lighting, the blood covering her was even more apparent, her face, her neck, her clothes all stained crimson.

Minghao’s small face went pale. "Daddy... Mommy... is she okay?"

Huo Ting Cheng’s expression softened immediately when addressing his daughter. He crouched down slightly so she could see Tang Fei’s face more clearly, though he angled her body to hide the worst of the blood.

"She’s fine, Minghao," he said gently. "Your mama just fell into some red paint at the place where she was working tonight. She got tired and fell asleep. See? She’s breathing normally."

Minghao reached out tentatively, her hand touching Tang Fei’s cheek. "She’s really okay?"

"I promise. Just very tired and very messy." He stood back up. "Why are you still awake? It’s very late, you should be asleep by now, tomorrow is school."

"I was worried," Minghao admitted, her eyes still fixed on her mother. "Nanny said, mother hasn’t called or notified her about anything."

"Your mama is safe now," Huo Ting Cheng assured her. "But she needs to clean up and rest. Can you be a good girl and go back to your room? I’ll come check on you after I’ve taken care of her."

Minghao nodded reluctantly. "Okay, Daddy. Tell Mama I love her when she wakes up."

"I will." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Now go. It’s past your bedtime."

Minghao scurried back inside, casting one last worried look over her shoulder before disappearing up the stairs to her room.

Huo Ting Cheng carried Tang Fei inside and headed straight for their bedroom on the second floor. The house staff had wisely made themselves scarce, though he knew they’d prepared everything he might need.

He kicked the bedroom door closed behind them and headed directly to the master bathroom. The space was large and luxurious, all marble and glass, with a massive shower and a separate soaking tub.

He set Tang Fei down carefully on the closed toilet seat. She remained perfectly still, her eyes closed, her breathing even. Still pretending to be asleep.

He knew she was pretending. He’d felt the slight tension in her muscles when they’d arrived home, the way her breathing had changed almost imperceptibly when Minghao had spoken. But he didn’t call her out on it.

Instead, he turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature until the water ran warm but not too hot. Steam began to fill the bathroom.

Then he turned back to her and began removing her clothes.

He started with her shoes and stockings, setting them aside. Her black pants were next, stiff with dried blood. He had to peel them off carefully. Her shirt was worse, the fabric had adhered to her skin in places where the blood had dried.

Tang Fei didn’t move, didn’t react, even when he had to use slightly more force to remove the shirt. She maintained her act perfectly.

Soon she was down to just her undergarments, and Huo Ting Cheng paused. Blood covered her skin in patches, her arms, her neck, and even some splattered across her collarbone and chest. None of it was hers. He’d checked thoroughly in the car. Not a single injury.

He removed the last of her clothing and lifted her again, carrying her into the shower.

The warm water hit them both, he was still fully dressed, but he didn’t care. He positioned her under the spray and began washing the blood away.

Red water swirled down the drain.

He was methodical, gentle. He shampooed her hair twice, working his fingers through the dark strands....