After Becoming a Cannon-Fodder Lackey, I Swore to Protect the Young Lady to the Death - Chapter 26

“Why would you ever want to leave me?”

In the small, airtight room, his voice sounded unnervingly flat, carrying a hint of genuine confusion masked by a growing, jagged madness. Gu Yan’s fingers traced the features of the girl in the portrait with a lingering, obsessive tenderness, as if she were the sole love of his life.

“Momo… if you’re going to run, you’d better make sure I never find you. Because if I do, I’ll make sure you can’t take a single step away from me for the rest of your life.”

Inside the dim chamber, the candlelight flickered, casting long, dancing shadows against the walls.

However, Gu Yan’s moment of dark reflection was soon interrupted by a bit of “trouble.” Lu Jiaoyue, moving with ruthless efficiency, had bundled together a massive load of civil litigation files and sent them straight to the court. Furthermore, several victims in his ongoing criminal cases had suddenly and simultaneouslyrefused to accept out-of-court settlements.

Most surprising of all was the plaintiff in the “Illegal Imprisonment” case: the runaway herself, Su Momo.

“Young Master, based on their stance, a settlement is out of the question. If the court initiates mediation, you are required to appear in three days…”

The man speaking held a leather folder, his black-rimmed glasses lending him an air of professional stability. He wore a practiced, friendly smile that made him seem instantly approachable. He was the most renowned lawyer in City A—a man who looked kind but specialized in high-profile, “impossible” battles.

“The number of cases filed against you is… substantial. Most are manageable, but as for the homicide charges… I suggest you start preparing a fall guy,” the lawyer said, checking his watch with a pleasant smile. “After all, the court date is approaching fast.”

Gu Yan frowned at the mountain of paperwork. Most of them were formal indictments. A cloud of stifling irritation settled over him.

“Does your team have a chance of winning these?” Gu Yan asked, tossing the files aside in frustration.

“That depends on how much evidence the other side actually has. To be safe, I suggest you start making ‘arrangements’ now. I’ve never seen so many cases drop at once, even for you, Young Master. You should really consider who you’ve offended lately,” the lawyer advised before bowing out of the study at Gu Yan’s signal.

“Tsk. I guess I didn’t clean up the loose ends thoroughly enough,” Gu Yan murmured, his tone eerily languid.

******

In Lu Jiaoyue’s Study:

“Hiding a tracker there,” Lu Jiaoyue said with a laugh, pointing toward Su Momo’s face. “Most people would never think of it. You really are clever!”

“Well, after escaping so many times, you tend to pick up a few tricks,” Su Momo replied. she playfully stuck out her tongue to reveal a simple tongue stud. No one would have guessed that this plain piece of jewelry contained a miniature GPS transmitter.

“It’s mostly thanks to the equipment you provided,” Su Momo added, removing the stud. “If it weren’t so small, I’d never have been able to pull it off.”

“Why did you choose to escape so suddenly?” Lu Jiaoyue asked, her playful smile fading into a serious expression.

“I had no choice. I got word that Gu Yan is planning to move against the Lu family very soon. I was worried that if I didn’t run now, I’d never get another chance…”

The subtext was clear: she wasn’t sure if the Lu family could survive the coming storm.

“What’s his plan? Surely not another ‘accidental’ car crash?” Lu Jiaoyue asked, idling with a bouquet of freshly cut flowers near the window.

“There’s a plot of land in the south of the city. I’m not sure what it was originally intended for, but he’s going to arrange for a fire there. And the person set up to take the fall for starting that fire is a long-time employee of the Lu Group…”

Su Momo looked at the beautiful flowers, a flicker of anger igniting in her eyes. The southern district was mostly old housing. Because of disputes over demolition compensation, the Lu family’s plans to build a large shopping mall there had been delayed repeatedly.

Clearly, Gu Yan was playing dirty. Using a veteran Lu Group employee to commit arson was designed to sink the Lu family’s reputation and provide a legal opening to ruin them. If anyone died in the fire, Lu Jiaoyue’s parents could face massive payouts and actual prison time.

“He probably wants to use the scandal to swoop in and buy that land for himself,” Lu Jiaoyue said, snapping a flower from its stem and crushing it between her fingers. “He was eyeing that plot during the last auction. He couldn’t beat us with financial power, so now he’s trying to steal it through sabotage.”

The petals were bruised and dark as Lu Jiaoyue dropped them to the floor, her fingertips stained with pollen. The two fell into a pensive silence.

“What made you so sure I would come for you?” Lu Jiaoyue asked suddenly.

“I wasn’t sure. I was just gambling,” Su Momo replied, shaking her head. “I was betting on a possibility. Betting on hope.”

Su Momo thought back to the day she was bullied in the restroom. Originally, she had planned to endure it and then use her secret recordings to get the perpetrators expelled. But then “Li Xi” had stormed in and beaten them all senseless.

That wasn’t how it happened in her previous life. When she saw the look of shock in Lu Jiaoyue’s eyes in the office later that day, Su Momo realized she could take a chance. Lu Jiaoyue was acting differently in this timeline, too.

In her past life, Lu Jiaoyue had never bothered her, but she had always watched her with a strange, detached gaze. Looking back, Su Momo had a haunting feeling—it was as if Lu Jiaoyue already knew what her future held. That’s why, before leaving the office that day, she had handed Lu Jiaoyue the receiver for her tracker.

“Well, congratulations. You won the bet,” Lu Jiaoyue said, clapping her hands with a smile. “Since we’re both in the same boat now, helping you is effectively helping myself.”

“Whatever you need me to do, just tell me,” Su Momo said solemnly, her eyes shimmering with a fierce determination. In this life, she would rather die than go back to that basement.

“Relax. I’m not a criminal; I won’t be sending you out to do anything shady,” Lu Jiaoyue said, patting her shoulder. “Did you manage to plant any bugs?”

“Only one, in the basement. But it’s probably useless now. He usually discusses business in his study, and he never let me in there…” Su Momo shook her head.

“It’s fine. In two days, you’ll have to attend court-ordered mediation. You’ll definitely see Gu Yan there.” Seeing Su Momo begin to tremble at the name, Lu Jiaoyue added, “It’s just a formality. All you have to do is state that you do not accept mediation. No one can force you to agree.”

“Okay. I can do that,” Su Momo said, forcing a pale smile as she tried to calm herself.

“The villa has a garden and a pool in the back. We should celebrate tonight,” Lu Jiaoyue suggested, seeing the heavy conversation had reached its natural end. Su Momo was her guest, and she intended to show her proper hospitality.

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