Deadly Trap.

Chapter 9. I Can't Live Without You
"Hey, isn't this our special forces' hero, Kai? You're back from your mission?"

Leaning against the terrace of the rooftop lounge, Lilith, a fourth-tier actress, languidly resembled a cat. Seeing Kai, she couldn't help but chuckle: "What, did the boss just make you jump off the building?"

Knowing he was being teased, Kai rolled up his sleeves and sighed heavily, clearly annoyed.

Lilith stared at his troubled face, her tone particularly amused: "How pathetic. The whole team was out this afternoon, did you mess up?"

Kai glared at her, annoyed. "You intelligence operatives are the most gossipy. Especially you. Got a cigarette?"

With a seductive air, Lilith, the captain of the foreign aid team, raised an eyebrow and pulled a cigarette from her jacket, offering it to Kai. Her expression suddenly turned serious: "That serious?"

Kay eagerly asked Lilith for a light. Then, he took a deep drag. In the winter wind and smoke, Kay's expression was indescribably complex:

"You don't understand. The way Boss looked at you tonight, it was as if he could squeeze the blood out of your heart."

With a lingering fear, Kai shuddered and said, "You don't want to know."

Lilith could only gasp inwardly: the Boss was usually a walking embodiment of intimidation, but this was unheard of. The Boss always used a combination of kindness and severity with his subordinates.

Lilith exhaled a puff of smoke, her expression meaningful:

"Isn't it because you almost cost Miss Su her life? Don't be surprised. I spent ages trying to get information out of the traffic team. Nobody in the team likes to talk. Except for me."

Unable to contain herself, Lilith proudly declared, "I heard that the Boss personally rescued someone tonight? Tsk tsk tsk, this Miss Su is truly one of a kind."

"Oops." Kai slapped his forehead, belatedly realizing, "You really did remind me: who is this Miss Su? I thought it was just something to look at casually, how did she end up kidnapping her? Does Boss have a girlfriend?"

Unexpectedly, Lilith burst into laughter. She glanced coldly at Kai and said sarcastically:
"Are you kidding me? You expect the boss to worry about his woman being killed while also having to personally pay the ransom? Are you out of your mind?"

“Besides,” Lilith said, narrowing her cat-like eyes and exhaling a cloud of smoke, “I met this Miss Su at the party. She’s really audacious, daring to directly approach the Boss.”

"She probably has no idea who she's messed with, right? I've heard that she and..."

Immediately afterward, Lilith glanced around quickly, then cautiously leaned closer to Kai and whispered a string of words. Her connections in municipal circles were "no small matter." The cigarette ash almost touched Kai's chin.

"Huh? With Li Enzuo? Are you crazy? Impossible."

"It's true that this Chief Investigator Li is a rich second-generation, but wasn't he at Lanzhou Mountain all night?"

"Earlier, Brother Dai informed us that there had been another series of murders at the cemetery. Boss sent Li Enzuo to the scene immediately. Brother Dai is still keeping an eye on the police station."

Lilith paused, then laughed: "No wonder. He didn't give me a friendly look when I tried to get information out of him. After the Boss returned, he even had Quenxus give him an urgent report. Guess what?"

“Quenxus said,” Lilith immediately stood up straight, displaying Quenxus’s meticulousness, “that even if it is Daize, it must be done in the morning.”

Lilith leaned closer, lowering her voice mysteriously: "Do you think Boss might be... with that Miss Su... hmm?"

Kai coughed, glanced at Lilith, and quickly regained his composure: "Lilith, no wonder Brother Dai said you're always stirring up trouble. Boss wouldn't—"

“Why not?” Yu Jue chuckled, Lilith raising an eyebrow with a charming air. “I, a lesbian, can tell at a glance that Boss is definitely very good at it. The person he wants will definitely be possessed inside and out.”

With a lingering aftertaste, Lilith squinted her cat-like eyes and exhaled a long plume of smoke into the sky: "Unfortunately, the Boss is a man."

"When have you ever seen the Boss mobilize the entire team to save one person? It can't be that the Boss went there specifically to invite Miss Su to listen to him play the violin, can it?"

With a smirk, Lilith chuckled mischievously.

Kai was speechless. It was obvious that with the Boss's skills and cunning, even connecting people, let alone rescuing them, would be an overreaction. Moreover, the team's positioning system had suddenly malfunctioned.

Besides, Miss Su was really something tonight. She seemed weak and easily bullied before snatching the phone, but in the blink of an eye, she became just as threatening as the Boss.

She even dared to throw a steel nail brush at the Boss's face.

Despite wearing an inexpensive dress, she was indeed... Kai took a deep drag on his cigarette to calm himself down.

She's a great beauty.

Lilith chuckled at Kai's reaction: "Anyway, Boss might really be 'doting' on this Miss Su for a long time."

Kai sighed irritably, "You might as well pray that the Boss doesn't kill me off tomorrow."

Lilith was taken aback by these words, then burst into unrestrained laughter:

"You've got it. What did you see that warrants being silenced? I heard you were transferred to the foreign affairs team. Brother Dai's team is second only to the leader."

"The boss is clearly praising you while criticizing you; he's practically rewarding you for getting his woman into bed—"

Suddenly, the glass doors to the lounge terrace burst open: "Lilith! Kay!"

The two men who were smoking froze simultaneously and stood at attention: "Brother Dai." "Big Brother Dai." Dai pressed his hand on the glass door, his face gloomy and ugly: Who put the troublemaker and the big mouth together?

"What are you doing?"

Ignoring Lilith's fawning gaze, Dai coldly addressed Kai, "Tonight's murder is no simple matter. The Boss must make the decision himself. Kai, do you know what the Boss is doing now?"

Subconsciously avoiding eye contact, Kai thought awkwardly: Why does everything tonight seem to involve him?

He mumbled in a low voice, "Boss... might not be able to answer the phone tonight..."

Dai Ze's gaze was unreadable: Gu Mufeng always prioritized official business. Since when has he been missing?

He quickly glanced at Lilith, who was suppressing a laugh with her head down: This troublemaker clearly knows more.

He quickly regained his composure: "Alright, I understand. Lilith, come with me." Dai then turned and left.

When she met Kelvin's gaze, Lilith quickly stuck out her tongue. She put her finger to her red lips, her thin, bony hand crushing the cigarette into the ashtray, then caught up with Dai and simply left.

>>>>>
I don't know how much time passed. The room was completely dark except for the moonlight.

Su Li curled up on the soft, large bed. The smooth, silky fabric and a scent that she felt completely satisfied enveloped her. She felt her body go limp, as if it would disintegrate at the slightest touch.

Her throat was sore and tight, and she seemed unaccustomed to being suddenly and completely released. Even her breathing was sluggish and uneven.

So tired. Where...is she?
Her fingertips had just sent the message asking Yu Heming to help with the morning's ideological and political education roll call. Reluctantly, Su Li's fingers finally limply released their grip on her phone, which seemed to have never left her hand.

If He Bao knew what Gu Mufeng was asking of her.

The relaxation and lingering pain after the crest of the wave caused her eyes to quickly close, as if they were in the deep sea.

……

In the darkness, Su Li's phone suddenly lit up, and a notification popped up quickly.

The door was pushed open silently. Steam from the bathroom drifted into the room along with the soft, warm light. A hand, its veins and tendons clearly visible, bearing fresh wounds, gently rested beside Su Li's sleeping face.

Gu Mufeng had no interest in Su Li's privacy. But at this moment, the content of the new message was something he couldn't ignore. His slender fingers unlocked the screen. His phoenix eyes fell on the Minzhou University campus forum.

An anonymous post with a jarring title:

[Breaking News: School Scholarship Recipient Su Li is Being Kept by a Powerful Man! Shocking Inside Story! (with Pictures)]

Comments below:

No wonder I didn't see her tonight. Everyone said she was in the hospital. Did she run away pregnant? That's impressive.

[Su Li? She's probably sleeping with someone right now, isn't she? Quite aloof, huh? No wonder she got a scholarship!]

[There are even photos! Can you tell who it is?]

His eyes narrowed instantly, and a murderous intent flashed across them, silently drawing forth.

[This picture is obviously photoshopped! You're a scammer! Be more professional if you're trying to steal a scholarship!]

The moonlight illuminated their silhouettes, making the old scars on his back and the new scratches she had just left on him appear even more silent. Gu Mufeng's cold gaze fell upon Su Li's injured, red wrist.

His phoenix eyes were dark and unfathomable. Yet, as if ripples had been stirred, a slight tension gripped his entire body.

As if afraid, yet also as if desperately trying to seize the trophy, he gently kissed her fingertips, took them in his hand, and pulled them into his heart. It was as if he wanted to reconfirm the feeling that she had schemed against him tonight, etching it into his heartbeat.

"He Bao... save me..." Su Li called her friend's name softly, her words muffled.

Gu Mufeng's hand paused slightly.

Outside the window, the night in Minzhou was so thick it seemed impossible to see through. The moonlight shone from behind the clouds, and the deep, dark blue sky looked down from above.

There's no need to be afraid. From this day forward, she can only belong to him. As for anything else...

Su Li wouldn't know. Nor did she need to know.

>>>>>
Next Chapter: The Gate of Flames
[Author's Note | Chapter Nine]

Lilith, that troublemaker, met Kai, that big mouth. The two of them spilled all of the Boss's secrets!
Kai should indeed start to worry about being killed by Gu Mufeng at this point.

What does the post on Su Li's phone signify? Will the unforgiving Gu Mufeng tolerate such a thing?

Feel free to leave a comment and make your guesses. Let's see how Su Li will start her new life tomorrow!
The author sincerely thanks everyone for every collection, read, and vote!
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(End of this chapter)