RITAAB 79.1

Chapter 79 【o(￣︶￣)o】PART 1

Liu Zhongyuan sat down between the two of them, “Yeah, it really has been a while. What’s going on here? Secretly meeting someone else’s boyfriend? Whispering sweet nothings? Or is it something you don’t want me to know?”

Xia Liansheng replied, “Don’t overthink it. The relationship between me and Jiulin is none of your business!”

Liu Zhongyuan said, “I’m Jiulin’s current boyfriend. Of course, I have a say. If you’ve got nothing else, hurry up and leave. We don’t welcome you here.”

Xia Liansheng thought to himself that he had already said everything that needed to be said, and whatever he hadn’t mentioned, Qin Jiulin would probably figure out himself. Since that was the case, it didn’t matter if he left now.

“Hmph, utterly unreasonable!” Xia Liansheng snorted coldly, then turned and left without giving Liu Zhongyuan the chance to annoy him any further.

Once Xia Liansheng was far enough away, Liu Zhongyuan began seeking praise, “Jiulin, did I come at just the right time or what? As soon as I saw your signal, I came right over!”

Qin Jiulin nodded, “You did come at the right time. I thought I’d have to make the signal a few more times before you noticed since I was sitting in a rather hidden spot.”

They had agreed beforehand that if Qin Jiulin didn’t want to continue talking to Xia Liansheng, he would make a discreet signal, prompting Liu Zhongyuan to come over and interrupt or chase Xia Liansheng away. The plan had worked quite well.

Liu Zhongyuan said, “How could I miss it? I was watching you the whole time. Even if I didn’t catch the signal, I could see your movements. So, aren’t you going to praise me?”

Qin Jiulin gave him a speechless glance, “How exactly do you want me to praise you? I thought you’d be asking for a reward. Fine, fine… You did great!”

For a moment, Liu Zhongyuan felt like even his thick skin couldn’t handle the praise, “Uh… Yeah, I guess I am pretty great, hahaha…”

Qin Jiulin said, “Alright, let’s head back. Xia Liansheng just told me a secret about Zhou Lie. I’ll tell you first, and then we’ll inform Captain Gao later.”

The secret wasn’t urgent, as Zhou Lie wasn’t likely to make a move against Gao Siyang in the short term. Modu hadn’t been fully reclaimed yet, and if Zhou Lie wanted to seize Gao Siyang’s achievements without losing any soldiers, his best chance would be when Modu was almost secure.

Qin Jiulin recounted the details of what Xia Liansheng had told him. Liu Zhongyuan, leaning on the sofa beside him, rubbed his chin in surprise, “Zhou Lie’s plans… they’re quite clear.”

Qin Jiulin asked, “Should we tell Captain Gao right away? Even though Zhou Lie might not act immediately, we don’t fully understand his temperament. If he’s the kind of person with a volatile personality…”

Liu Zhongyuan waved his hand, “No way, Zhou Lie won’t make a move now. He still wants to reap the benefits without doing any work. So, for now, Captain Gao is safe.”

Qin Jiulin said, “They really put on quite the show earlier. When they went hunting, they always made sure to bring back just enough food for themselves.”

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “Well, it’s all for show. If it wasn’t convincing, it would be too easy to suspect them. Zhou Lie has been secretly watching Captain Gao, but little does he know that Captain Gao has also been keeping an eye on his group.”

Qin Jiulin said, “In that case, I think Captain Gao might realize something is off about Zhou Lie’s group without us having to tell him.”

Liu Zhongyuan shrugged, “But to be safe, we should still let Captain Gao know directly.”

Qin Jiulin asked, “If Captain Gao asks where this information came from, should I tell him it was from Xia Liansheng, who’s now on Zhou Lie’s side? Do you think Captain Gao will believe it?”

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “He’ll believe it. After all, it’s better to believe it’s true than to dismiss it. Plus, Xia Liansheng knows you’d tell me, and we’d tell Captain Gao. He probably has his own motives—like if Zhou Lie’s coup fails, Xia Liansheng can use this as a way to stay in Captain Gao’s good graces.”

“If Zhou Lie succeeds, Xia Liansheng can just deny ever leaking the secret. Even if Zhou Lie suspects something, he wouldn’t do anything to Xia Liansheng, especially since the plan would have already succeeded. It’s really a win-win for him. No matter who wins, Xia Liansheng can continue living safely in Modu.”

Qin Jiulin thought to himself that Xia Liansheng might be trying to please both sides, but in the end, survival wouldn’t be up to anyone else—it would be up to him, Qin Jiulin.

“It really is a clever plan. I hadn’t thought about it at first. For such an important secret about Zhou Lie, why would Xia Liansheng, who’s already on Zhou Lie’s side, tell me directly? Now it makes sense.”

Liu Zhongyuan concluded, “Anyway, we definitely need to tell Captain Gao. But it’s getting late today, so let’s talk to him tomorrow.”

Qin Jiulin said, “Perfect timing. We have to head to the military base tomorrow to transport some ammunition. Before we leave, we can talk to Captain Gao. That way, no one will suspect anything.”

It was likely that Zhou Lie’s people were secretly watching Captain Gao as well. They might not know what was being discussed, but they could certainly track who had visited him.

Especially since Zhou Lie had already taken note of Qin Jiulin and Liu Zhongyuan.

Qin Jiulin had no objections to Liu Zhongyuan’s plan. “Alright, let’s do it your way.”

When they returned to their residence, Xia Liansheng had already returned to his place as well. However, he wasn’t living alone anymore. There was a woman staying with him.

This woman wasn’t just anyone—she was one of the six special beastman under Zhou Lie’s command. Her beast form was that of a toad. Yes, a toad. It was hard to imagine that this fair-skinned, long-legged beauty with her shiny black hair could have a toad as her beast form.

Of course, her purpose for staying here was to keep an eye on Xia Liansheng. Or, perhaps, she had taken a liking to him and had volunteered for the assignment. Zhou Lie had told Xia Liansheng that she was here to “strengthen their relationship.”

Xia Liansheng had no interest in a woman whose beast form was a toad, no matter how beautiful her human form was. Just thinking about her warty toad form killed any desire he might have had.

Cheng Lin greeted him with a sweet voice, “Brother Xia, you’re back? I made dinner. Do you want to eat first, or… eat me first?”

As she spoke, she tiptoed toward Xia Liansheng, but he ignored her completely, not even sparing her a glance. He changed his shoes and went straight to his room.

He had already eaten at the cafeteria, and there was no way he would eat another meal at home, especially food prepared by a toad. The very thought made him queasy.

Cheng Lin watched the door to Xia Liansheng’s room close and sighed, “Ah, don’t be so cold! Am I not beautiful? I’m so pretty…”

She was indeed beautiful, but as long as Xia Liansheng knew her beast form was a toad, no man could stay interested.

Seeing that Xia Liansheng wasn’t coming out, Cheng Lin sighed again, “Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to eat all this food by myself. But I don’t know if I can finish it all. It’d be such a waste if I couldn’t…”

She muttered to herself as she wandered around the kitchen and living room, eating her meal. However, the door to Xia Liansheng’s room remained tightly shut, as if it had been welded closed.

There was nothing she could do. Seeing the situation, Cheng Lin didn’t continue pushing her luck. After all, they were living together now. She would have plenty of opportunities. Men like Xia Liansheng were exactly her type!

She knew that Xia Liansheng was probably acting cold because he was disgusted by her beast form. It was her own fault for carelessly letting him find out. But it didn’t matter.

It was just a beast form. Surely, with her beauty, she could make Xia Liansheng forget about it for a while, as long as she became even more beautiful!

Lying in bed, Xia Liansheng’s thoughts drifted to Qin Jiulin and Qin Jiuzhen. He knew he couldn’t win Qin Jiulin back anytime soon. At least, not in terms of romance.

Especially with Liu Zhongyuan around. This guy was strange. Whether it was Qi Yue or Qin Jiulin, after meeting Liu Zhongyuan, his plans didn’t just go off track—they completely spiraled out of his control in the most bizarre ways!