When Qi Huan woke up again, dusk had fallen.
Following the source of light, she saw that the window paper had been dyed an orange-yellow color by the lingering sunset glow, slowly fading as time passed.
As night fell, Qi Huan kept twisting her wrists, trying to free her hands from the hemp ropes.
The ropes were tied too tightly, gradually scraping her skin raw, with a stinging pain that cleared her mind considerably, though her body remained weak and numb, likely from the lingering effects of the sedative.
She used her tongue to push out the cotton stuffed in her mouth, instantly feeling her breathing become much easier.
Taking a deep breath, Qi Huan did not immediately call for help.
This secluded place, with the wardrobe next to her not fully closed, allowed her to see through the gap between the doors that it was crammed full of clothing.
This must be Chen Shu's bedroom.
But where was Chen Shu?
Speak of the devil, with a creaking sound, the door opened and Chen Shu wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, walking in with a smirk.
When he first returned and saw Qi Huan sleeping soundly, he went to take the aphrodisiac first.
After taking the drug, he happened to pass by the kitchen and the aroma of the food was too tempting, so he couldn't resist drinking a few bowls of chicken soup.
Having eaten and drunk his fill, now it was time to consummate his marriage with Miss Qi.
"Miss Qi, did you have to wait too long?"
Chen Shu chuckled, closing the door behind him and beginning to undress as he walked, "We're short on time, so let's consummate the marriage first before the wedding ceremony."
Just thinking about how possessing her would mean obtaining Qi's Restaurant, Qi's Noodle Shop, and Qi's Spicy Strip Shop made Chen Shu even more eager.
In this perilous situation, Qi Huan concealed the coldness in her eyes and softened her voice, seductively saying, "Upon closer inspection, Mr. Chen truly has a handsome and refined appearance that delights me. Would Mr. Chen be so kind as to untie the ropes binding my hands so that I may help undress you?"
Hearing this, Chen Shu was overjoyed. From childhood, his mother had always berated him for not taking after her, instead inheriting his father's shifty eyes and rodent-like looks and short stature.
Now this young lady was praising him as handsome and refined - she clearly had good taste.
"Seeing how sincere you are in your words, I shall trust you this once."
Chen Shu took off his outer robe, casually tossing it onto the table, and walked over to the bed to untie Qi Huan's bonds.
The young lady's delicate and fair wrists looked so frail, like she couldn't even wring a chicken's neck with her bare hands. Even untied, she couldn't escape his clutches.
Chen Shu confidently pulled off the loosened ropes, spreading his arms wide as he eagerly said, "Wifey, quickly come and help your husband undress!"
"Wait a moment, I have something good to show you, Sir."
Qi Huan smiled coyly, taking out a toy gun from her spatial storage and aiming it at his approaching eyes before squeezing the trigger.
The plastic bullets didn't have much force, but at such close range and striking his vulnerable eyes, it was enough to make Chen Shu cry out in pain.
Blood slowly flowed from his eye sockets, and Chen Shu collapsed to the ground, howling as he clutched his right eye.
Afraid his screams would draw help, Qi Huan tore off a strip of the bedsheet and stuffed it into his mouth, then used the ropes to bind his hands that were still covering his eyes.
Not satisfied with her revenge, she kicked him a few more times before lifting her skirt, preparing to make her escape.
At that moment, a rustling sound came from overhead.
Looking up, Li Shuchen gracefully descended, leaving Heizi perched on the roof tiles, peering down.
After a moment of stunned silence, Qi Huan regained her composure, pointing at the unconscious Chen Shu behind her as she excitedly shared, "Li Shuchen, look how formidable I am, I took him down..."
Before she could finish, she was pulled into his embrace.
With his powerful heartbeat in her ear and the cool scent of pine on his robe, Qi Huan finally let her guard down and the tough facade she had put on, her voice tinged with tears as she said, "Li Shuchen, why did you come so late?"
"It is I who was late." Li Shuchen gently patted her back, and only after holding her in his arms did the ferocity swirling in his eyes slowly subside.
Heizi had been delayed by Ding Accountant for too long, and by the time he returned to report, it was already the hour of Yu.
Annoyed by Heizi's slow pace, he carried Heizi and jumped from rooftop to courtyard, letting Heizi sniff out her location at the fastest speed possible.
But he was still too late, and his dear one had been frightened.
Catching a glimpse of Chen Shu regaining consciousness and squirming on the ground from the corner of his eye, Li Shuchen's gaze turned as cold as a blade.
Anyone who coveted Qi Huan deserved to die.
With one slash of his dagger, blood sprayed out, and Li Shuchen swiftly evaded it.
Before the scent of blood could spread, Li Shuchen casually wiped his dagger clean on the bedsheet, brushed off the remaining stains, then stood up and carried Qi Huan in his arms, lightly leaping onto the rooftop.
The night breeze blew open the silk covering Qi Huan's eyes, revealing Li Shuchen's chiseled jawline under the bright moonlight.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her cheek pressed against his chest, feeling an overwhelming sense of security.
Watching them disappear into the distance, Heizi's eyes bulged in surprise - how was he supposed to get back down to the ground?
If he jumped directly, wouldn't he break his dog legs?
As he hesitated, he suddenly spotted an old acquaintance.
Ding Accountant was hobbling into the Chen residence, intending to eavesdrop from the corner.
This time, he had paid a tremendous price. In order to let the young master successfully take Qi Huan away, he had been bitten by Heizi several times before finally letting go, crawling all the way to the clinic due to the excruciating pain.
He had to come and hear Qi Huan's cries of suffering to satisfy his resentment.
In his deranged state, Ding Accountant failed to notice Heizi targeting him from the eaves above, using him as a cushion to jump down.
Before Ding Accountant could even let out a wail, the plump and sturdy Heizi had landed squarely on him, knocking him unconscious.
Seeing that he didn't cry out, Heizi retracted his fangs and didn't linger, leaping away swiftly into the night on his nimble four legs.
The next day, the first thing Qi Huan did upon arriving at the noodle shop was to fire Old Lady Wang and hold her accountable according to their previously signed employment contract.
Old Lady Wang wailed, "Miss Qi, I really need this job, I have elderly parents and young children to support..."
Qi Huan cut her off, "Everyone in this life has their own difficulties, but that is no excuse for betrayal. One act of disloyalty means you can never be trusted again. My business is too small to accommodate such a disloyal person."
Under Qi Huan's firm stance, Old Lady Wang had no choice but to take out one tael of silver from the money Chen Shu had given her as compensation for breaching the contract, almost crying from the pain of losing that money.
But she had no other option.
It was written in black and white - if she didn't pay up now, and continued to be defiant until it escalated to the government officials, she still wouldn't be able to escape punishment.
Taking this opportunity, Qi Huan gave the other workers a stern warning through a combination of favors and threats.
In the blink of an eye, it was the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month.
Outside the restaurant, Qi Huan held a bucket of paste as she directed Li Shuchen in posting the closure notice.
"A little lower, Li Shuchen. Your height is perfect for you to see it clearly, but for us regular folk, craning our necks is too tiring. Move it down a bit more...
Yes, yes, right there, put it up!"
Qi Huan stared intently at the notice in Li Shuchen's hands, flashing a satisfied smile, when suddenly someone tapped her on the shoulder.
Turning around, she saw a man in a red and black official's uniform with a sword, a local constable.
"Miss Qi, pardon the interruption, I am Constable Yan from the Mo County Government Office. There are some matters I wish to inquire about."
"Please go ahead." Qi Huan turned to face him with a smile, "I shall share what I know."
"There have been two murder cases on Jinxiu Lane. Have you heard about them, Miss Qi?" Constable Yan asked while observing her expression.
"I have heard some rumors. As you know, my restaurant sees a constant stream of people coming and going, so I tend to catch wind of things...I heard it was the young master and the accountant from the former Ruyi Restaurant who met with misfortune. What exactly do you need to ask me about, Constable?"
"The night before their incident, they had gotten into a dispute with you over business in front of Qi's Spicy Strip Shop, is that correct?"
Qi Huan responded in an instant, "Yes, I remember that incident very clearly. On that day, the quality of the spicy strips they were selling had issues, and they closed up shop quite early due to complaints from everyone... But what does that have to do with the murder case?"
"The murder happened on that very day. Someone from Jinxiu Lane had seen Chen Shu carrying a young woman on his back from the back door when he returned home, and the clinic also has witnesses testifying that Ding Accountant had visited to treat a bite wound. Miss Qi's stature matches the description of the woman Chen Shu was carrying on his back given by the witnesses, and you also keep dogs. How do you explain all this, Miss Qi?"
Constable Yan looked at her steadily, his gaze piercing as he watched closely for every slight change in her expression.
