Chapter 64: Evidence
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=7288969
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
"What's wrong?" Seeing Jun Youyue's expression, Lu Xici also put down what she was holding and leaned over.
"My sister, she might... might be in danger!" Jun Youyue's hands were shaking.
She was extremely flustered, grabbing Lu Xici's sleeve, her rapid breathing revealing her fast heartbeat.
Lu Xici's eyelids twitched.
"I'll have someone check it out, don't panic." She supported the trembling Jun Youyue, disregarded everything else, and grabbed her phone to call Lu Tingyi.
Jun Youyue leaned against Lu Xici, tightly gripping her sleeve as if holding onto the only straw.
The fear in her heart still couldn't be dispelled.
Her sister was her only family left, and she couldn't lose her too.
Even the seconds it took for the call to connect felt unbearably long.
Lu Xici's mood also sank due to all these changes.
Although Jun Youyue hadn't explained the reason, Lu Xici trusted her.
Moreover, if Yang Wanqing had really left something important, both sisters would be in danger, no matter who had it.
Lu Tingyi was taking too long to answer.
She was still negotiating with Lu Shaoning. Lu Shaoning mentioned that the matter was very important, and if it weren't for Lu Xici calling, she wouldn't have answered.
"Mom! It's urgent!" Upon answering the call, Lu Tingyi almost received her daughter's roar.
She quickly steadied her phone, gave Lu Shaoning a look, and left the reception room.
"Youning? I've always had someone watching her, don't worry, let me check."
Keeping the call on, Lu Tingyi took out a watch-like device and pressed a few buttons.
No one answered.
Lu Tingyi's eyes darkened.
The two guards she sent out were elite; it was impossible for them not to answer the walkie-talkie.
There was only one possibility. They really encountered trouble.
On the other end, Lu Xici and Jun Youyue each wore an earphone, listening to Lu Tingyi's prolonged silence.
The busy signal from the walkie-talkie seemed like a death knell, echoing like gunshots fired into a herd of sheep, each thud hammering on their hearts.
"Mom..." Lu Xici called out, unwilling to believe it.
Lu Tingyi took a deep breath. "I'll check their location. I'll send a team to you."
Jun Youyue almost fainted upon hearing this.
She didn't know what her sister had done, only that she had been acting very strange lately.
But her sister said she was investigating evidence to clear the Jun family's name, and Jun Youyue chose to believe her.
However, this matter itself was very dangerous.
Not to mention, the results of their mother's work were still in Jun Youyue's hands.
If Jun Youning really encountered something, she wouldn't even have anything to save her life.
Jun Youyue regretted agreeing to take the black box that day.
But Jun Youning's performance had been flawless from the beginning; aside from some intuition, Jun Youyue couldn't find any flaws.
Before Lu Tingyi could confirm the location, Jun Youyue could only keep telling herself that her sister was fine, trying to stay calm.
****
"Her phone's last known location is the commercial street. I'll have someone meet up with you immediately," Lu Tingyi said, exhaling a breath.
The other side had finally taken action, but it still caught them off guard.
After all these years, what exactly did Jun and Yang leave behind that could drive people mad with pursuit?
The commercial street, the most chaotic place in the entire capital, is a notorious black market with all sorts of shady activities.
If Jun Youning really got pulled into the commercial street, the chances of survival were slim.
On the way, Lu Xici held the trembling and somewhat dazed Jun Youyue tightly.
Any comfort seemed unable to reach her.
Lu Xici was also very worried.
Originally, she thought the suspected enemy of the Ji family was only targeting Jun Youyue.
She, like most others, believed that Jun Youning was an ordinary person, without outstanding academic talent, average in grades, and more approachable, unlike the geniuses in the Jun family.
Now it seemed they might have misunderstood.
Ordinary can be a facade, perhaps Jun Youning chose this disguise as a trump card, making it impossible for outsiders to see through her.
The team of guards Lu Tingyi assigned to them continuously contacted their companions in the commercial street, searching for Jun Youning.
Listening to the "unable to find" reports coming from their watches, Lu Xici bit her lip hard and quickly covered Jun Youyue's ears.
"I heard it..." Jun Youyue, like a dried-up fish that just got a drop of water, momentarily found some strength.
She took out her phone and started calling Jun Youning again.
Naturally, no one answered.
The busy signal left both of them hanging in suspense, their hearts ready to collapse.
At the same time, Lu Tingyi received information from the people she had originally placed around Jun Youning.
They indeed encountered a group claiming to be from the Ji family.
But the guards clearly recognized the leader.
"Are you sure?" Lu Tingyi asked, hearing that name and looking at the email she had just received, for the first time feeling that her experience was somewhat surreal.
"I'm sure, those are Lu Zhiheng's people."
The email also mentioned that Cheng Xu's mother’s surname is Lu, and she is a daughter from a branch of the Lu family.
The truth finally surfaced.
Lu Tingyi didn't know how to explain this to Lu Xici and Jun Youyue.
No matter how much she wanted to distance herself, Lu Jinghua was still her father in both a biological and legal sense.
Even though she had no idea what Lu Jinghua had done until today.
But could Jun Youyue think the same?
Would revealing this affect the hard-won relationship between the two children?
Lu Tingyi suddenly felt like retreating.
She had just sent Lu Shaoning away.
Now she regretted it; she should have stayed to continue negotiating with Lu Shaoning.
After all, she is Lu Xici's mother.
As much as Lu Xici liked to avoid things, her mother was no different.
But Lu Tingyi was older and more rational.
She chose to inform Lu Xici about this matter first.
She let her daughter decide whether to reveal it or not.
Lu Xici wasn't looking at her phone at the moment.
The guards received a message from their comrades and were rushing toward Jun Youning.
****
"Tsk, why are there suddenly so many people? Weren't we told she was alone?" The leader claiming to be from the Ji family frowned as he watched the white-clad figures approaching nearby.
He thought he had chosen a secluded enough location, but he hadn't expected to be found so quickly.
"Maybe they're the cohorts of those two interfering guards."
Another person glanced at Jun Youning lying on the ground, apparently unconscious from fright.
There was a puddle of blood nearby, likely evidence of her fainting.
"They're armed. What are our chances of winning?"
"Not high. Let's retreat for now. At least we can confirm that the thing is still there with Yang Ning."
After a brief discussion, the people surrounding Jun Youning quickly retreated.
The team led by Lu Tingyi changed their target and went after the fleeing "Ji family members."
Meanwhile, Lu Xici and Jun Youyue arrived.
Seeing her sister lying on the ground, eyes closed, face pale, and the hint of blood nearby, Jun Youyue's fragile composure shattered.
She broke free from Lu Xici's embrace and rushed forward, but her legs gave out before she could reach her sister, stumbling.
Lu Xici caught her, preventing her from falling flat on the ground.
"She's breathing, she's okay," Lu Xici reassured, attempting to help Jun Youyue up.
The person who brought them here has already stepped forward to lift Jun Youning and check her. He signaled to Lu Xici that she wasn't in any life-threatening situation.
Only then did Jun Youyue relax.
She could hardly stand, yet she didn't want to drag Lu Xici down with her. Releasing their intertwined hands, she let herself sink.
Lu Xici simply sat down beside her, holding her hand again.
"It's okay now, it's okay. Jiejie is fine, you don't need to worry anymore," Lu Xici reassured, embracing Jun Youyue tightly, their fingers intertwined.
Jun Youyue's eyelashes trembled.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=7288969
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
The ground was dirty and cold, but with her beloved beside her, it felt surprisingly warm here.
"Thank you... thank you, A’Ci." Watching as her people carried Jun Youning into the car, Jun Youyue felt her chest swell, fresh oxygen finally filling her lungs.
The scent of dust was sour and bitter, but within Lu Xici's embrace, it blocked out the dirty and the ugly, leaving only the faint fragrance of roses for Jun Youyue.
It was sweet yet empowering.
Just breathing within Lu Xici's arms brought such a sense of security.
"I didn't do anything..." Lu Xici also held Jun Youyue tightly, relieved that she had finally regained consciousness.
Today's mistake, if slightly delayed, could have led to unpredictable consequences for Jun Youning's safety.
She couldn't help but feel some self-blame.
Regardless of the past or present, the two families were still family, and she should have been the one to notice the oversight.
"Miss. She's awake and seems to have something to say to you," the guard who had carried Jun Youning back into the car called out to Lu Xici.
Lu Xici nodded, her gaze fixed on Jun Youyue. "Shall we go?"
"Mm." With Lu Xici's assistance, Jun Youyue stood up cautiously.
****
Jun Youning lay in the back seat.
At this moment, her complexion wasn't as pale as before; there was a hint of color returning, not enough to frighten anyone.
"Yue'er, come over here." She even had the strength to wave to Jun Youyue.
Jun Youyue furrowed her brows tightly.
That tone again.
Jun Youyue couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong with that tone, but her subconscious made her extremely fearful of hearing it.
"Don't look so gloomy. Your wife is still here, make a good impression on her," Jun Youning teased.
Lu Xici covered her lips, turned away, and cleared her throat.
Why did she feel like Jun Youning had just pretended to faint?
Jun Youyue couldn't tell.
At this moment, she was both annoyed and filled with self-blame and heartache mingled in her emotions.
She still approached quickly.
"This, evidence, take it." Jun Youning patted something resembling a USB drive into Jun Youyue's palm, almost communicating with Jun Youyue through lip movements.
She believed her sister could understand.
Jun Youyue's pupils contracted abruptly.
"You wouldn't..." Have been in danger because of this.
This evidence was dug out at the risk of her life, but Jun Youning refused to say more.
She knew very well what she had done.
Pretending to have evidence in her hands, just as her mother had instructed, and then waiting for the people hiding in the dark to make their move.
This way, she could ensure the safety of her sister and that little girl from the Lu family, and also help them find out who the enemy was.
But saying such things would anger her sister.
Lu Xici looked at the two sisters from the Jun family not far away and instructed her subordinates who had failed in the pursuit.
At the same time, she also opened her phone and saw the message from Lu Tingyi.
With just one glance, she stood frozen in place.
"A'Ci. A'Ci?" Jun Youyue tried to pry some words out of her sister's mouth but to no avail.
She had no choice but to go to Lu Xici for comfort.
Unexpectedly, Lu Xici stood there like a statue, with no response at all.
Jun Youyue stepped forward and tapped Lu Xici's shoulder, meeting her widened peach blossom eyes.
Lu Xici's phone had been startled out of her hands.
Jun Youyue, quick to react, helped her pick it up and inadvertently glanced at the words on the screen.
Author's Note:
The countdown to the end is about to begin.
There will be two updates, see you in the evening~
The small theater in the synopsis will be written as an extra. The extra chapters may be quite long, maybe 30,000 to 50,000 characters.
After all, the completion of the main text refers to the end of the main line of the story, but there are still many things I want to write, and the branch lines that cannot be accommodated in time are not yet completed.
