The Plough

"Chen Wendong wants to kill you," Ling Shu read the message and looked up.

"Who does he want to kill? Me? You?" Ling Shu asked.

"I bought the newspaper this morning," Yue Dingtang said before Ling Shu could inquire further.

Without waiting for Ling Shu to ask, Yue Dingtang recounted the process of buying the newspaper.

"I went out early today and didn't eat at home. I bought a morning paper halfway and then went to a stall to eat soy milk and oil cakes. The newspaper was left on the table, and there was someone at the same table who left earlier than me, and I just took the newspaper with me after finishing my meal."

It was easy to slip a note into a public place, whether it was with a newspaper vendor, a snack shop owner, a dining companion, or even a passerby. There was no way to find out who did it.

"It should be me he wants to kill," Ling Shu said.

Yue Dingtang raised his eyebrows and asked in disbelief. 

Ling Shu said, "A few days ago, Chen Wendong approached Jiang He, wanting to hire someone to kill me."

Yue Dingtang asked, "Jiang He told you this? You have no prior relationship with him, why would he tell you?"

Ling Shu blinked.

Yue Dingtang understood, "You must have caused trouble."

Ling Shu: ...

He felt more wronged than Dowager Dou.

From He You'an to Jiang He, it was obvious that trouble just came to him. How could it be said that he caused trouble?

Ling Shu originally didn't want to mention the fact that Jiang He was being chased by Lu Tongcang, but now he had to spill the beans.

Sure enough, the more Yue Dingtang listened, the more his eyebrows raised. 

In the end, they were furrowed together, and his gaze towards Ling Shu was like that of a student who couldn't pass their messy thesis, almost writing "rotten wood cannot be carved" on his face. 

"I thought after Shen Shiqi, you would have learned to mind your own business." 

Ling Shu tried to defend himself, "But with Jiang He, many things can be explained and connected, we did gain something."

Upon reflection, it was impulsive to follow Jiang He and intervene in the situation.

However, the development of the situation with He You'an was far more complicated than the case at Yuan Manor. 

Ling Shu and Yue Dingtang still couldn't figure out whether He You'an was good or bad, black or white, or what role she played in it all.

Jiang He was one breakthrough point.

He did provide Ling Shu with quite a few clues.

All things considered, it was a pretty good deal.

Yue Dingtang said coldly, "Is that gain worth your life?" 

Ling Shu grinned, "With you, Captain Yue, Jiang He will definitely give you face."

"If you hadn't escaped in time that day, have you thought about the consequences?" Yue Dingtang asked.

"I have," Ling Shu replied.

Yue Dingtang raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to confess.

"My sister and the others, you'll help them out as old classmates, right? The biggest regret is not being able to eat one more meal of Sister Chunxiao's cooking. Also, since starting my new job, I haven't received my first month's salary yet, and now I have to make a heroic sacrifice. It's like going through all the trouble to buy a ticket and then being told the theatre is closed," Ling Shu lamented.

He regretted his choices, but his focus was completely off.

Yue Dingtang sneered, about to make a sarcastic remark, when his gaze suddenly froze.

"Are you injured?" he asked.

"No," Ling Shu replied. 

Yue Dingtang said, "Pick up the desk lamp on the table."

Ling Shu reached out his hand.

Yue Dingtang said coldly, "Use your right hand."

Ling Shu hesitated, "I told you before, my right hand is injured and I can't lift heavy objects."

Yue Dingtang replied, "This desk lamp is not heavy, one hand is more than enough. I even saw you pick up a brick before."

Ling Shu had no choice but to use his right hand to pick up the lamp.

He bent his arm and exerted force, looking a bit stiff and even trembling slightly.

"Enough."

Yue Dingtang took the lamp from his hand and put it down.

"Take off your coat."

Ling Shu said, "Captain Yue, your request is a bit strange."

Yue Dingtang narrowed his eyes, "Take it off or not?"

His gaze was sharp as a knife, as if it could directly cut open the truth beneath the clothing.

It seemed that he couldn't hide it anymore.

Ling Shu sighed softly and took off his coat. Yue Dingtang took matters into his own hands and rolled up his sleeves! A large area of striking bruises from his forearm to his elbow caught his eye.

Even though Yue Dingtang was mentally prepared, his eyelids couldn't help but twitch.

"You didn't get shot, but you still injured a vital area on your arm," he said.

Ling Shu didn't know how Yue Dingtang's eyes were so sharp that he could spot the injury that even Jiang He didn't notice.

"Your right hand is already half useless. Do you want it to be completely disabled? If you don't want it, I'll just have someone chop it off for you. There's no need for you to keep tormenting it," Yue Dingtang said coldly.

Ling Shu smiled apologetically, "I didn't bring a gun with me to the banquet this time, otherwise I wouldn't be in such a passive situation. I'll be more careful next time!"

Yue Dingtang's face remained cold as he asked, "How did you get injured?" 

Ling Shu said, "At that time, Jiang He was unconscious and couldn't help. There were three people on the other side. One of them was already injured and I knocked him down. The other two chased after me relentlessly. I killed one of them, but the other one fought me to the death. I wasn't paying attention and he kicked me in the forearm."

Yue Dingtang asked, "Are you sure they didn't see what you looked like?"

Ling Shu rubbed his nose and said, "I don't think so."

But Yue Dingtang refused to give up and continued to press him. "Do you know what Jiang He has been up to these past few days? Lu Tongcang just married his third concubine, and Jiang He is busy organizing the wedding. Lu Tongcang wants it to be grand, so Jiang He invited famous Peking Opera performers and movie stars like He You'an to attend. Do you think that just because you saved Jiang He's life, he will return your feelings? He's like a venomous snake, ruthless and selfish. If you try to show your loyalty to Lu Tongcang, you'll be the first one sacrificed!"

"You're right. I'll just stop associating with him from now on. Let's focus on the matter at hand!" Ling Shu dismissed the other person like a docile donkey and quickly changed the subject.

"Who do you think warned me that Chen Wendong wants to kill me?" 

Yue Dingtang remained silent for a moment before answering, "He You'an."

"Why didn't she just tell me directly?" Ling Shu asked.

"It's not convenient," Yue Dingtang replied. 

Is someone obstructing her? Is she indirectly sending out a distress signal, or is it all just a smokescreen?

Ling Shu sighed.

"All these twists and turns, it's like a game within a game. I'm starting to regret getting involved with her."

Yue Dingtang sneered, "I thought you had already regretted it when you offended Shen Shiqi."

Ling Shu bitterly smiled, "Back then, I thought I was a hero saving a damsel in distress. I never expected that this damsel was actually a beautiful snake!"

Yue Dingtang remained silent, getting up to retrieve a bottle of medicinal wine from the cabinet.

Ling Shu was about to put on his coat when he saw what Yue Dingtang was doing and quickly said, "I already applied medicine, it looks serious but it didn't actually hurt the inside."

Yue Dingtang looked at him.

Three seconds.

Ling Shu retreated in defeat.

He resignedly took off his clothes again, rolled up his sleeves, and bravely offered his arm, ready to be used as fish meat. Yue Dingtang's hand was warm, but the force on the flesh was not very comfortable.

Ling Shu suppressed the urge to scream in pain and turned it into a hum.

"If you really don't want this arm, give it to me. Without my permission, you can't mess with it," Yue Dingtang said.

He heard Yue Dingtang say so.