The Beautiful Boss's Personal Bodyguard
Chapter 159

Chapter 159: Chapter 159

Everyone was secretly clicking their tongues, wondering when the Liu Family had become so arrogant. Even though they were driven by the hatred of patricide, given Liu Ping’s cunning and ruthless nature, it would have certainly been expected for him to trip someone up and stab them in the back, not openly provoke confrontations so brazenly—a rarity indeed.

No one could figure out whether Liu Ping was truly blinded by hatred.

To the east of Tianhe City lay the old residence of the Liu Family, an estate from the Qing Dynasty resembling a prince’s mansion, with a large quadrangle courtyard.

A woman with hair down to her waist, willow-leaf eyebrows, flaming red lips, and a delicate, slender melon-seed face exhibited grace with every move, yet her softness was laced with venom, deterring anyone from meeting her gaze.

In her hands, she played endlessly with a glass ornament, crescent-shaped—a Glass Moon favored by the ancient Mongols, about the size of half a palm, spinning it around in her hands. After being played with over time, the object seemed to have developed a personality just like a human.

In the spacious hall, Liu Liyue sat on an imperial tutor’s chair with a red-haired young man crouching beside her—his youthful appearance contradicting his action of scratching the ground with a toothpick. The floor was paved with old blue stone slabs, where ants could be seen crawling. The Liu brothers sat on the guest seats, looking at this intimidating woman.

"Have you found Zhang Xiayang?" she asked, her voice matching the frosty aura she exuded.

Liu Ping leaned slightly forward, "Not yet. Word has it that he’s fled to Yunnan, and if that’s the case, he’s probably trying to make his escape to Vietnam."

"Word has it?" Liu Liyue raised an eyebrow, her voice remaining calm and indifferent, "If I relied on hearsay, I wouldn’t have sought you out. I’ve already taken care of Chen Pingrui for you. As we agreed beforehand, we split the Chen family’s assets with seventy percent for you and thirty for me. But if you can’t produce any results soon, I won’t mind keeping that thirty percent for you first. Better in my hands than someone else’s."

"Hmph, you guys think you can—ah!"

Liu Hao screamed miserably as he fell backwards off his chair onto the floor, a large patch of fresh blood flowing from his shoulder, quickly staining the blue stone slab a stark, crimson red.

"Last time you got slapped around at the Jade Market and didn’t dare to fart, how can you still have the face to live? Liu Laogou was a man of some standing, if not a hero, at least his reputation as a chieftain from Sichuan was well-known. But who would have thought, at the end, you would have such commendable sons, a cause for celebration indeed!" Liu Liyue said, her tone brimming with sarcasm as she watched Liu Hao writhing in pain. Her partnership with the Liu family was solely for profit, and they wanted a lot at that. Mocking them was for their own good.

Qin Gui stood up, hands in his pockets, donning ear drops, a nose ring, and ripped jeans, the epitome of a slacker, "My aunt is complimenting you, aren’t you going to say thank you?"

"Go fuck your—"

The blood this time sprayed out, leaving a dark red stain on the red-lacquered pillar in the hall, a spurt from a major artery in the neck.

Qin Gui had just killed Liu Ping’s own brother.

Liu Liyue watched with amusement at the smear of blood on the pillar and said, "Young Master Liu, I think this man’s death is of no consequence. What do you think?"

"I feel the same way." There was a grinding of teeth in the voice.

Liu Liyue smiled, "Young Master Liu, you are a man destined for great things; I know these recent events have caused you great offense, and it’s natural for you to hold resentment towards me—something inevitable for everyone. However, I can assure you with certainty that this corpse, if left to those people at Fengyue Lake, is definitely worth more dead than alive. Heh heh heh..."

She wore a bright-red Qipao that trailed down to the floor. Liu Liyue’s graceful figure did not stir the slightest desire in men, only a cold shiver. The hooligans, Qin Gui, loyally followed behind her, carefree and without proper bearing, yet just the sight of their silhouettes from the back sent a chill down one’s spine.

At a villa on the outskirts of Beiping City near Fengyue Lake, three women sat; five, to be precise, if one counted their daughters.

"Eldest Sister, calling us over overnight can’t be just for reminiscing old times."

The two flamboyantly dressed women faced Zheng Xinru, observing the Chen family’s elder daughter-in-law with fixed smiles that didn’t reach their eyes. They each had their own schemes in mind, wondering what this formidable woman was plotting. Although she was no longer the wife in the strictest sense, her status was evident. Moreover, who didn’t know the depth of emotions Chen Pingrui shared with his childhood sweetheart, a bond hardly severable by a mere divorce paper.

Zheng Xinru took a sip of tea, glancing inadvertently over her daughter. Chen Yang immediately understood and stood, addressing her younger sister, "Little sis, let’s go upstairs to play."

Third Madame Lv Nan smiled and gently pulled Chen Yue’s shoulder, "Go on, play with your sister."

At fourteen, Chen Yue was in the throes of adolescent rebellion and was more than eager to escape the oppressive atmosphere, following Chen Yang upstairs with glee.

Lin Jingran and Lv Nan exchanged a look, both realizing that Zheng Xinru must have something important to discuss to call them both over simultaneously. This was Chen Pingrui’s style, and now in this villa, Chen Pingrui’s absence felt wrong in every way.

"Pingrui is dead."

An uproar.

Chen Pingrui is dead? What kind of joke was this?

Lin Jingran and Lv Nan were both shocked. Their first reaction was that Zheng Xinru was joking, but her solemn and composed demeanor was far from that of someone telling a joke. Plus, she never set foot in Chen Pingrui’s house after their divorce, ten years and not once had anyone seen the two together, not once.

This moment highlighted the difference between a woman of substance and a mere trophy. Zheng Xinru could sit there with the poise of a calm lake amidst thundering depths, while the other two women could not. One was a former Oiran, the other a radiant beauty in her twenties; how could they possibly remain calm? Without Chen Pingrui, it would be as if they had lost their provider, and worse, those who had long lusted after them behind the scenes would brazenly swoop in, leaving no bone uneaten.

A trophy might not be a brain, but at least when it came to their own affairs, they knew the score better than anyone.

Seeing neither of them speak, Zheng Xinru sighed inwardly and continued, "Pingrui died of a sudden cardiac event due to heart issues. As for the cause of death, you can think what you wish. You don’t need to worry about his funeral arrangements; following his will, there will be no ceremonies, everything will be kept simple. In a couple of days, his ashes will be sent directly to the cemetery."

"Can’t we see him one last time?"

"Yes, Eldest Sister, even though we are divorced... there are still requisite sentiments to be fulfilled."