Lihua slightly shook, but she continued applying the ointment. Wei smiled. He hadn't particularly thought about how to spend this night with her. He simply wanted her company. He was amused to see Lihua, the cat, so firmly clinging onto Lihua, the human's belly.

  Wei got up again and this time, she saw a box in his hand. Lihua widened her eyes on seeing a Ludo game board.

  "What is a Ludo game board doing here?"

  "I brought it because you like Ludo."

  "……You want to play Ludo with me?"

  He nodded. Apart from Lihua, the cat, he thought that her favorite game would also cheer her up. Lihua didn't show any emotion, but she was definitely pumped up. It had been a long time since she played Ludo and tested her luck, which was always strangely awesome that always led her to win.

  Lihua, the cat, yawned and settled comfortably in Lihua, the human's lap to complete her sleep that Wei so cruelly broke.

  They were immersed in the game with Lihua winning every round. With every win, her smile brightened and turned wider.

  My luck is still awesome! Wei hasn't yet won a single round against me!

  She proudly snorted.

  I might not have talent and IQ, but I am definitely born with awesome luck.

  A sudden gust of wind flapped the windows open with a bang, and then a moment later, the lights went off. It was complete darkness.

  Wei said, "Don't move. It is dangerous," he switched on the flash light from his mobile, "I will check what has happened."

  She nodded. She switched on her mobile's flashlight, but it died off as soon as the battery ran out.

  "Ah……I remember I didn't get the time to recharge my phone…" she sighed. She waited for Wei in the darkness.

  Lihua, the cat, was wriggling in her lap, making her giggle. "Stop moving. You are tickling me haha…"

  But Lihua, the cat, wasn't in the mood to laugh or curse. She straightened up sensing something, and her green irises narrowed in the darkness.

  *Meowww*

  "What happened? You feel stiff."

  Suddenly, Lihua saw a shadow pass by the window. It was only for a moment, and she wasn't sure if she really saw it or was it some trick her eyes played.

  *Meowww*

  Lihua, the cat, now even more fiercely hissed.

  "Wei? Is that you?"

  Silence. She only heard the sound of wind blowing past the curtains.

  "Wei?"

  She never saw the shadow again.

  Lihua felt the cat stand on guard on her lap. She patted her back, "Are you alright, Lihua?"

  Then from a distance, she saw somebody coming towards them holding a candle in his hand. Lihua was relieved to see Wei.

  He placed the candle stand on the table. A yellowish orange glow softly lit the living room with its mellow light.

  "The main wire got burnt off, hence the lights went out. It will be a little while before that gets fixed."

  "Oh. It's okay. What happened to your flashlight?"

  He pursed his lips. "Battery died."

  So same as me…


  Wei saw Lihua, the cat, standing in attention for some reason. Even though he wasn't an expert with animal's expressions, he felt that something was wrong with the way she looked so sharp and feral.

  "What happened to her?" He tilted his head.

  She looked down. "I don't know. She was sleeping, but then she suddenly woke up and stood like this for some reason. Maybe the darkness spooked her up."

  "Maybe."

  "Anyway, you didn't answer me when I called you."

  Wei blinked his eyes in confusion. "When?"

  "Outside the window just a minute back."

  He blinked his eyes again. "I wasn't around the garden anywhere. I was in the electrical room, checking the fuse box."

  Suddenly, he looked as ferocious and alert as Lihua, the cat. He jumped on her feet and rushed towards the floor to ceiling windows.

  "W-Wei?" Lihua was taken aback.

  He checked left and right but didn't dare to go any further. He didn't want to leave Lihua alone. He came back and asked, "Did you see that person? A man or a woman?"

  "No. It was just a shadow."

  Wei's expression was grim and severe.

  "Wait, wait! Why are you so serious? I must have misunderstood. It's just the three of us here. I never saw that shadow again. Plus it happened so fast that even I am not sure about it."

  Wei didn't look convinced.

  "Really. Maybe I got tricked because of the darkness. It felt a little spooky. It must be my imagination. Why would there be anybody else here apart from us? It's a private property."

  Wei hesitated. Lihua, the cat's expression, said otherwise. She still looked unsettled.

  "We should still leave from here. I don't want to take any chances."

  She pulled his hand and made him sit down. "It's alright. Don't worry about it. Who would dare to trespass Jiang Wei's property?"

  "What if it's Jiang Shan?"

  "But he is not even in China. And he cannot enter the country without you knowing about it anyway. This is your turf."

  "……There is a way because there is a mole within us."

  He explained everything in short. Lihua was stunned. "I see……Did Xian Xue confess anything?"

  "No. It won't be for long though."

  "But he is detained now. So without him, Jiang Shan cannot come here so casually."

  "He could have already entered China before Xian Xue was detained and might be hiding somewhere. We cannot really say."

  "Why would he hide? Wouldn't he just attack us to overthrow you?"

  "He might be waiting for some chance."

  "That prostitution charge and you would be in jail," Lihua stated.

  Wei nodded.

  There was a beat of silence.

  Lihua said, "I still don't think he would come here. It's an odd place to start a confrontation."

  "We should err on the side of caution."

  Lihua thought about it and nodded. "Alright. Let's leave then."

  She was saddened to leave this mansion so soon. Wei helped Lihua in the car while she held the cat. Lihua, the cat, was watching the surroundings.

  Wei would have already called Fu Renshu to investigate the mansion, but his phone died out, so he couldn't give the orders. But that was the first thing he decided to do the next morning. He drove away.

  From a distance, a tiny twig creaked under somebody's foot as that man hid in te trees…… From the shadows, he saw the car drive away, and an amusing smile lifted his lips.