The room was dead silent.
Qiao Chuchu stood awkwardly in place, clearly sensing the tension in the air.
Fifth Brother was angry.
Sixth Brother was also angry.
Weisheng Huailing, on the other hand, didn’t seem angry at all. In fact, he looked like he was in an exceptionally good mood, his smile still widening by the second.
She nervously licked her lips. “Let’s go out. I won’t change the dress. I doubt anyone will notice anyway.”
Pei Ci and Pei Mu didn’t say a word, their faces dark as coal, glaring at Weisheng Huailing. “Qiao Chuchu, you go out first.”
Huailing smiled at Qiao Chuchu and nodded, signaling for her to relax.
But Qiao Chuchu couldn’t relax. She tried to mediate, “Brothers, this is Weisheng Biehe’s birthday party, and it’s the Wei Sheng Clan’s event. Please don’t cause trouble.”
Pei Mu smiled warmly, pulling her closer. “We know. Don’t worry, we’re not going to argue. We just want to have a little chat.”
Qiao Chuchu sighed helplessly and signed to Huailing, *“I’ll step out first. My brothers want to talk to you.”*
Huailing nodded obediently.
Qiao Chuchu was still worried. She signed again, *“My brothers have bad tempers, and they don’t seem to be in a good state of mind. If they say anything strange, please don’t take it to heart. If they bully you, just let me know.”*
Huailing smiled and signed back, *“Don’t worry, Chuchu. I understand that your brothers are vetting me. It’s normal for family members to assess new additions. I’ll make sure to give them a satisfactory answer.”*
Qiao Chuchu: “?”
Vetting?
Pei Ci was on edge. “What did he just sign?”
She was equally confused. “Huailing said you’re vetting him. He thinks it’s normal for family members to assess new additions, and he’ll give you a satisfactory answer.”
Pei Mu: “?”
Pei Ci was furious. “What kind of satisfaction are we supposed to get from him? From him buying you clothes, preparing shoes for you, and obsessing over you like a creep?”
He pointed at Weisheng Huailing, his voice firm. “Listen up, Weisheng Huailing. Unless the seven of us brothers are dead, you’re not taking Qiao Chuchu away from us. End of discussion!”
Huailing blinked his watery eyes, picked up his phone, and typed something. A mechanical male voice played back, emotionless: “You don’t have to shout. I can’t hear you.”
Pei Ci: “…”
Pei Mu: “…”
Qiao Chuchu: “…”
She quietly took a few steps back and closed the door behind her.
The Wei Sheng Family’s estate was massive, a two-story manor that felt like an endless shopping mall.
The faint sound of music from downstairs could still be heard.
But at that moment, the entire hallway was empty.
Qiao Chuchu, holding up her dress, walked toward the staircase when she suddenly caught a strong whiff of alcohol.
She frowned, glancing at the neighboring room, but after a brief pause, she continued toward the stairs.
Suddenly, her arm was yanked back!
Before she could even see who it was, a strange liquid was splashed onto her face!
A burning pain seared her eyes, and an indescribable smell flooded her nostrils!
Was it acid?
It was acid!!!!
She screamed in agony, her vision blurring as she saw a burly man raising a knife to slash her shoulder!
Qiao Chuchu collapsed to the ground, flailing her arms in a desperate attempt to shield herself. Her palm was slashed!
Something fell to the floor.
Qiao Chuchu gasped, trying to move her fingers.
Her right hand… no response.
She couldn’t feel her hand anymore!!
Overwhelming despair and fear engulfed her. She could hear her own voice growing weaker and weaker, her consciousness fading, her vision drifting upward.
She saw her own body lying on the ground, covered in blood, the crimson liquid soaking the luxurious carpet.
But the killer’s face was blurry. She couldn’t make out who it was. Yet, even though she was already dead, the man kept swinging the knife at her body, relentless.
The blade was already chipped.
The man was in a frenzy, showing no signs of stopping.
She couldn’t help but curse, “I’m already dead, and you’re still going at it? Are you trying to chop me up for dumplings?!”
Suddenly, her vision shifted, and the scene changed.
Qiao Chuchu: “?”
She slowly looked around.
She was back in the hallway.
Had she skipped the system’s process and been sent back directly?
No, that couldn’t be. No matter how urgent the situation, the system would always meet with her first.
Qiao Chuchu waited for a while, but there was no sign of any numbers changing.
So, what was that just now?
Had she died so many times before and been punished by the system so often that her mind had cracked, creating the illusion that she’d been killed?
She instinctively took a few steps forward, still holding her dress.
The faint smell of alcohol lingered in the air.
Qiao Chuchu’s nerves tightened like a bowstring, her eyes widening as she stared at the door ahead.
The smell was coming from there.
It was on her left.
The door, which had been tightly shut, was now slightly ajar.
Qiao Chuchu turned and ran, banging on Huailing’s door. “Open up! Open up!!!!”
Weisheng Huailing opened the door, and Pei Mu and Pei Ci looked at her in surprise. “What’s wrong?”
She glanced back at the other door.
The gap had widened. Whoever was inside had clearly noticed her.
She rushed into the room, tripping and falling to the floor, but she didn’t care about her posture. Overwhelmed by fear, she scrambled to Pei Ci and Pei Mu, clutching their legs—
“Someone’s trying to kill me!!!”
She gripped their pants tightly, her voice trembling with terror. “He has acid! He chopped me up! My hand’s gone, my eyes are blind, I—I—”
Pei Mu’s expression changed. He crouched down, cupping her face, wiping away her tears as he spoke calmly, “Calm down, Qiao Chuchu. Tell us again. Someone’s trying to kill you?”
She sobbed uncontrollably, gasping for air. “He’s out there! The fourth room on the left!”
Without a word, Pei Ci stormed out, muttering curses under his breath. “Damn it…”
Weisheng Huailing followed closely behind.
Qiao Chuchu managed to calm down slightly and added urgently, “That guy has acid!”
Pei Ci stopped Huailing, typing on his phone: *“Qiao Chuchu says the guy has acid.”*
Huailing smirked, pulling out a gun with a silencer and coldly loading it.
Pei Ci: “?”
Huailing then used his phone to summon a delivery robot from the second floor.
The robot slowly made its way to the door and entered the room Qiao Chuchu had pointed out.
Huailing followed, gun raised, aiming into the room.
He frowned.
Pei Ci also stepped forward, his expression changing.
No one was there.
Both of them turned to look at Qiao Chuchu.
Qiao Chuchu, who was practically clinging to Pei Mu, looked even more confused than they did. “No one?”
She cautiously walked over, pushed the door open, and found that it was just a storage room.
The smell of alcohol was gone, replaced by a strong, high-quality perfume.
She froze.
Pei Mu let out a long breath. “Qiao Chuchu, what’s wrong with you? You said someone was trying to kill you, even chopped you up. Where is this person?”
Pei Ci flicked her forehead. “Are you losing your mind too? Are you hallucinating now?”
Weisheng Huailing picked up his phone and checked the security cameras.
The second-floor cameras were all broken.
He remembered that the cameras had suddenly malfunctioned yesterday. Only the ones near the first-floor banquet hall had been repaired; the rest were still out of order.
He signed to Qiao Chuchu: *“Are you sure someone was trying to kill you?”*
Qiao Chuchu fidgeted with her hands, no longer certain. “I… I don’t know.”
She lowered her head, on the verge of tears. “Maybe it was just my imagination.”