Chapter 0006 Ye Qinghong (Part Two)

Luo Lie was taken aback; it was the first time in his life that he found himself amidst such magnificent and resplendent architecture. The stench of wine and meat from the red gates contrasts sharply with the frozen bones of the dead on the streets, illustrating that the disparity between the rich and the poor in today's era has reached an unimaginable level

Luo Liedao: "Miss Ye invited me over, it should not be as simple as just having me compensate for a qipao."

The main door of the church was locked. Ye Qinghong politely knocked on the door, and the person inside looked out through the crack before opening the door. For the first time, Luo Lie felt as if he were a guest in the small church, as if he had suddenly become an outsider.

The small church where Luo Lie served was quite inconspicuous; even when fully occupied, it could accommodate no more than fifty people. Due to its smaller scale and modest environment, the main structure had fallen into disrepair over the years. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, a wave of church construction surged within the French Concession, with each new church being larger and more magnificent than the last. Moreover, the foreign priests with blonde hair and blue eyes appeared to be more persuasive in their preaching than the native Chinese. After the old priest became paralyzed, most of the congregation was drawn away to other larger churches in the French Concession. Even on grand occasions such as Christmas and Easter, the small church rarely saw a full house. The young pastor Luo Lie was far from being as esteemed as the elderly priest who had once walked with a tremor in his step. He did not seem to put much effort into preaching; instead, he often engaged in lively interactions with a group of pampered young ladies from affluent families. If it were not for the occasional sound of the piano and hymns during services, the French Concession would have almost forgotten the existence of such a small church.

Upon careful consideration, the assassination that took place at the Blue Mill indeed has too many inexplicable aspects. Lu Weilin fired three shots, all hitting Ren Zhongchang, and the assassination occurred after a power outage. Unless one possesses night vision akin to that of a blind person, it is quite difficult to accurately lock onto a target in the dark. Could it be that Lu Weilin also has the ability to see in the dark? If not, how did he manage to aim precisely in the darkness? It is quite difficult to accurately lock onto a target in the dark. Could it be that Lu Weilin also has the ability to see in the dark? If not, how did he manage to aim precisely in the darkness?

The servant presented two steaming cups of black tea and then withdrew

Ro Lie laughed and said, "I do not quite understand what Miss Ye is saying"

Ro Lue has already begun to speculate in his heart that this matter should be related to Ye Qinghong. Just now, at the Blue Mill, she had him get into the car while leaving the blind man behind. Her intention might not have been to discuss matters with him, but rather to separate the two of them and then deal with them one by one. When he left, he saw in the rearview mirror that Mu Sanshou's subordinates had surrounded the blind man. It seems that the blind man has most likely been controlled by someone. Could it be that his intervention has affected this assassination attempt?

Luo Liedao: "Tea bar, I am not accustomed to drinking coffee"

After the patrol officers arrived, the first individuals to be ruled out as suspects were Mu Sanshou and Ye Qinghong. The former's status and identity were evident, while Ye Qinghong was precisely one of the victims tonight. However, Luo Lie discovered that the situation was not so simple. If one were to view tonight's assassination from a different perspective, it was Mu Sanshou who brought the victim Ren Zhongchang to the scene. After Lu Weilin successfully carried out the assassination, he used Ye Qinghong to coerce Ren Zhongchang's subordinates into laying down their weapons. If he had not intervened, would Ye Qinghong's desperate counterattack have ended in failure? And would Lu Weilin have successfully abducted her to escape the scene?

Ye Qinghong draped the cheongsam over the armrest of the sofa, took out a cigarette, and lit it. She had quite a strong addiction to smoking, and within a short while, she had already smoked three cigarettes in front of Luo Lie.

Luo Lie felt a sudden jolt in his heart, as if faced with a tempting feast before him, only to have a fly suddenly land on it

Ye Qinghong was just about to speak when someone walked in from outside and whispered something in her ear. After that person left, Ye Qinghong softly said: "I will take you to a place"

Ye Qinghong followed along, and she appeared particularly capable in her newly donned black suit.

Ye Qinghong said: "You will definitely be interested!"

"Answer me!" Ye Qinghong revealed an unprecedented sharp gaze

Luo Lie took off his trench coat, and immediately a servant came over to take it, then took his top hat and hung it on the coat rack

Luo Lie reached out to pick up the qipao, and the index finger of his right hand emerged from the overlapping hole.

Ye Qinghong provided a brief introduction. This villa comprises a total of thirty-two rooms of various sizes. Although the internal corridors are winding, they connect the upper and lower levels seamlessly. The rooms and the reception hall are adorned with traditional Chinese decorations, while the interior murals are the work of renowned European artists. The door and window handles are all crafted from purple copper, and the hollowed plum blossom window grilles are exquisite. It can be said that every component and detail here approaches perfection

The subordinates stood before her with utmost respect, their heads lowered, not daring to meet her gaze. Luo Lie also did not look at her, taking this opportunity to admire the exquisite decorations of the villa.

Ye Qinghong parked the car, and someone had already run over with an umbrella, opening the car door to shield her from the wind and rain

Luo Lie raised the crystal tea cup, took a sip of the black tea, and then gently placed the cup back in its original position. It was not Chinese tea, but an imported product that had crossed the ocean: "Miss Ye, what guidance do you have for me?"

Gazing at the hole, Luo Lie recalled the scene of Ye Qinghong lifting her leg to kick. Although sufficient protective measures had been taken beforehand, her long and slender jade-like leg was still exposed before others. Luo Lie was well aware that Ye Qinghong's intentions were not merely about the wine. No matter how precious this qipao was, it could not compare to the value of life. His timely intervention had at least wounded Lu Weilin, delaying his actions. Reflecting on what had just transpired, Luo Lie could not help but think that Lu Weilin clearly had the opportunity to regain control over Ye Qinghong, to kill her or once again use her life as leverage. Yet, why did he choose to flee in haste?

Ye Qinghong pointed to the maroon genuine leather sofa, inviting him to take a seat

Ye Qinghong smiled faintly and said, "Converted into silver dollars, it is approximately 200,000."

Luo Lie did not expect that Ye Qinghong would actually take him to his own small church this time. The church was brightly lit. Luo Lie clearly remembered that the door had been locked before he left. Apart from himself, only the old priest, who was bedridden, had a key to this small church. Although the blind man was his best buddy and a regular at the small church, he also did not have a key. Moreover, the blind man did not like bright lights; even if he had sneaked in, it would have been impossible for him to turn on all the lights like this.

As Luo Lie stepped through the door, he immediately discerned that the person hanging was blind. The blind man was tightly bound, with his head hanging down from the beam, positioned over a meter above the ground. His originally plump face had turned a purplish-red due to prolonged congestion. His small eyes were also bloodshot, bulging out roundly, causing concern that they might pop out of their sockets at any moment

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand; what is most feared is pretending to be confused while actually knowing the truth! The fabric of my qipao is the blue brocade offered to Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty by the Suzhou Weaving Workshop, and there is a saying that one or two pieces of this blue brocade are worth a fortune, not to mention that even if one can afford it now, it is impossible to find the same fabric again." Ye Qinghong took the qipao out of her handbag, gave it a gentle shake, and unfolded it in front of Luo Lie. The exquisitely embroidered qipao revealed a tear, and Ye Qinghong pointed at it, saying: "What should we do?"

From Mu Sanshou's behavior after the shooting incident, he forced Ren Zhongchang's subordinates to lay down their weapons, resulting in all four being shot dead by Lu Weilin. After this, Mu Sanshou still took great risks to have his subordinates discard their firearms. Considering the safety of his goddaughter, this seems to be a very reasonable explanation. However, given Mu Sanshou's calm and seasoned nature, his actions do not seem to align with this reasoning. Luo Lie clearly remembers Ye Qinghong's counterattack, which also involved taking great risks in that situation. What prompted her to act this way? Who gave her such immense courage?

Ye Qinghong took a few quick steps, her long and beautiful legs displaying a stride that was in no way inferior to that of a man. Her walking posture exuded a strong sense of vigor, lacking some of the grace seen on stage but gaining a few more points of robustness. She soon surpassed Luo Lie, naturally taking on the role of the guide, and softly said: "This house is nearly twenty years old, with both the design and construction completed by Italian craftsmen."

In the church, there are a dozen or so people seated, and a person is hanging from the beam above, currently the center of attention for everyone.

Luo Lie chuckled and said, "It's late at night, and I don't have that much enthusiasm. Why don't Miss Ye take me back?" After saying this, he yawned.

Luo Lie could not help but recall the situation at that time. Ren Zhongchang was holding a cigar, and during the power outage, the glow from the cigar and the light from the book became obvious targets, which Lu Weilin used as a reference for aiming. Luo Lie clearly remembered that Lu Weilin only fired one shot at the private room, which indicates his great confidence in his shooting skills. There was another reason; he was likely afraid of accidentally injuring others. From his decisive action in shooting Ren Zhongchang's subordinate without hesitation, it can be seen that he was not concerned about those people, so he was only worried about harming Mu Sanshou.

Ye Qinghong felt that his action was filled with ambiguous implications, and her delicate face inexplicably flushed. She snatched the qipao back and said, "Compensate me!"

Ye Qinghong said: "Your swordsmanship is quite good"

Ye Qinghong shook her head: "People have died here before, and there have been ghostly disturbances!"

"Coffee or tea?" Ye Qinghong asked

Ye Qinghong reached out to take the umbrella, intending to greet Luo Lie, but saw that Luo Lie had already opened the car door and stepped out, quickly making his way to the entrance of the villa

Luo Lie chuckled, "Living in such a small building, one must wake up laughing from their dreams, right?"

Luo Lie nodded and entered the magnificent hall, his gaze immediately drawn to the enormous crystal chandelier: "It must have cost quite a bit, right?"

Upon reconsideration, it should not be the case. Although I shot and injured Lu Weilin, it did not change the outcome of the entire incident; General Ren Zhongchang of Ganbei still met his demise on the spot, and the murderer successfully escaped. Even though I noticed the suspicious behavior of Mu Sanshou and Ye Qinghong, I have never mentioned it to anyone, so how could they suspect me? Moreover, throughout the entire process, the blind man did not take action; why would they target both of them simultaneously? After ruling out this possibility, Luo Lie quickly deduced that the reason he and the blind man attracted Ye Qinghong's attention was most likely related to the wallet stolen by the blind man.