The Interrogation
Qu Youran had a delicate appearance, and her demeanor matched it. Faced with Luke's pressing question, she immediately lowered her head.
"Shaw... did you misunderstand something?"
Luke picked up the teapot, poured a cup of flower tea, and drank it as he spoke.
"Miss Qu, we're both intelligent people. Why play coy?"
Qu Youran hesitated. "Did you mistake me for someone else? I really didn't lie to you. Grandpa Shaw asked me to come. I..."
Luke took a photograph from his pocket and tossed it onto the table. The photo showed a man and a woman: the woman was Qu Youran, and the man was a Chinese middle-aged person in his forties. The middle-aged man was about forty-five, with short hair and black-framed glasses, and a gentle, scholarly demeanor.
"Miss Qu must know the person in this photo. It's okay if you don't. I'll introduce him: George Wong, Chinese name Wang Congxin, from Guangdong province in China. He is 46 years old and works in finance. As for your relationship..." He paused, then smiled. "Do I need to continue?"
A flicker of panic crossed Qu Youran's eyes, and she quickly explained, "Shaw, you misunderstood. George and I aren't what you think. We..."
Luke waved a finger, looking resigned. "It's come to this. Is there any need to keep hiding? I've investigated your identity and background thoroughly. Not just you, but also those four 'guests' on the first floor."
Luke snapped his fingers. The manager pushed the door open and whispered,
"They've been contained."
He glanced at Qu Youran, then turned and left the room.
Luke smiled faintly. "Miss Qu, your four companions have been caught by my people. Tell me, how should I deal with them? Should I throw them into the sea for the fish? Or bury them in the flower bed as fertilizer?"
Qu Youran narrowed her eyes. A chilling intensity flashed through them, but she eventually suppressed it.
"Tell you what! I'll make an exception and put their future in your hands."
Luke tapped the table with a spoon.
"After ten taps, if you don't go out and save them, those four guys will vanish from the face of the earth."
One... two... three... five... seven...
The sound of the spoon hitting the table was heavy and dull, like muffled thunder. Faced with the aggressive Luke, Qu Youran felt a sense of panic for the first time. She couldn't take it anymore, pushing her chair back and rushing out of the room.
It was very quiet outside—ominously quiet. Even though it was peak dining time, the hall was empty, save for four unconscious, seemingly drunk patrons slumped over a table on the far right.
The manager, the chef, and two waitresses stood beside the table. The manager was wearing white gloves, the waitresses had submachine guns tucked into their waistbands, and the chef was wielding a large cleaver fresh from chopping pork, with blood and filth still clinging to the back of the blade.
The four stood like statues, their eyes filled with killing intent, radiating a fierce, brutal aura. In this moment, they were no longer a manager, a chef, and waitresses, but ruthless executioners.
In fact, they truly were executioners, having long handled the tasks the old man found inconvenient to address personally. When the old man retired, the four became the operators of the Chinese restaurant.
In a sense, stationing them here was an overuse of their talent.
The manager stepped forward and said coldly,
"Miss Qu, I will inform the old man about today's events."
He then glanced at a waitress, who took out a syringe and injected a drug into the four men's bodies. A moment later, the four awoke groggily. Seeing the surrounding scene, their faces changed drastically. They frantically reached for their pockets, finding them empty.
The chef said gruffly, "The one surnamed Qu, you can go back now. The Young Master has something to discuss with you."
Qu Youran took a deep breath. In this moment, she finally understood why the higher-ups placed such importance on the Shaw family. In the West, in Coast City, there was virtually nothing they couldn't accomplish.
After exchanging looks with her four companions, Qu Youran returned to the VIP room.
Luke was eating his favorite shredded snapper salad. The snapper meat was briefly boiled, chilled, and sliced into strips, then mixed with chilled shredded carrots, cucumbers, and wood ear mushrooms, all tossed with chili oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds. The flavor was absolutely exquisite.
One plate of the shredded snapper salad was quickly finished. Luke, still wanting more, called the waitress in and ordered another serving.
Qu Youran put down her handbag. After a period of silence, she said slowly,
"I apologize for what happened just now. Those four are my bodyguards, not dangerous individuals. The reason they were following me was because of the dry corpse case. Coast City is too dangerous for me to go out alone."
Luke nodded knowingly.
"So, you're saying I wronged you."
Qu Youran sighed. "Shaw, there's no need for us to be so hostile. My maternal grandfather and your grandfather are lifelong friends who did many extraordinary things together when they were young. My mother and your mother knew each other since childhood and even went to the same school. Decades of friendship between two generations shouldn't be severed so easily. Both elders hope that relationship can continue, and I personally..."
Here, she slightly bowed her head and whispered in a mosquito-like voice,
"...am not entirely opposed to it."
Luke's heart fluttered for a moment, and he couldn't help but size her up. Seeing the blush of shyness on the girl's face, his expression became utterly bewildered.
What is a master of deception? This is it.
In terms of acting talent, she was undoubtedly MAX level.
"Miss Qu, you truly surprise me!"
Luke shook his head. He grabbed the Hermès handbag on the table and, using his fingers, pried off the black metal clasp. The clasp looked normal on the outside, but a closer look revealed a constantly spinning glass lens inside.
"A micro-camera?"
"I stopped using these ten years ago."
Luke tossed the metal clasp onto the dining plate, ignoring the visibly upset Qu Youran. He called in Heidi and Mia, who were guarding the door.
"Search her body."
The two pounced like hungry tigers, pinning her to the dining table. Their powerful hands searched every part of her body—her hair, boots, chest, belt—not even sparing the hidden area between her legs.
After a thorough search, several strangely shaped "small objects" appeared on the table.
"Eavesdropping devices, tracking devices, signal generators, signal receivers, and..."
Luke picked up a small object that looked like an eraser. After examining it closely, his expression grew even stranger.
"A miniature bomb. Impressive! To hide a miniature bomb in your bra while out on a blind date. Impressive, truly impressive!"
Heidi asked seriously, "Young Master, how should we dispose of her?"
Luke waved his hand. "The old man said that no matter what, we must not let her be humiliated."
"Let her go!"
Heidi and Mia exchanged a look and simultaneously let go. The nearly nude Qu Youran quickly grabbed her dress to cover her chest.
Luke handed the plate containing the "small objects" to Heidi.
"Wait outside."
The two nodded, gave Qu Youran a warning glance, and left the room.
Luke lit a cigar and said faintly,
"Miss Qu, shall we continue to talk?"
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