Chapter 114: Hopes and Plans

Huang Yu held a dagger in his hand as he looked at the five people before him.

It could be said that this was the first time they had met. If not for what had happened to Li Jia and her family, Huang Yu and these people might never have crossed paths at all.

There was no pity in his eyes, nor any fear or apprehension at the thought of killing someone for the first time. If he felt anything, it was hatred.

No matter how desperately the five men begged for mercy, Huang Yu would not soften.

Of course, he had no intention of giving them the chance to beg.

He slit their throats one after another and waited until he was certain all five had died before casually tossing the bloodstained dagger aside.

Huang Yu had no need to worry about his fingerprints being left on the dagger. He believed that Zhou Wen would clean up everything here so thoroughly that no one would ever trace it back to him.

From beginning to end, Peng Min merely watched in silence, her expression calm.

“Actually, there isn’t much difference between the death of a person and the death of any other animal,” she thought.

Watching the five men bleed to death reminded her of the chickens and ducks her parents used to slaughter in the back kitchen at home. There was scarcely any difference. They would twitch a few times, and once most of their blood had drained away, they would stop moving.

“Let’s go.” The smell of blood in the air made Huang Yu somewhat uncomfortable. He walked over to Peng Min and spoke.

She nodded, cast one last glance at the five bodies lying in pools of blood, and followed Huang Yu away.

On the drive back to downtown PE City, Huang Yu had initially considered visiting Li Jia’s grave to tell her that he had avenged her. But then he remembered that Li Jia did not even have a grave, so he drove straight toward the city.

“Yu, I really can’t stay here with you?” Peng Min asked after thinking for a long while from the passenger seat.

“My work is in KM City. Even if you stayed here, we wouldn’t be able to live together.” Huang Yu kept his eyes on the road and drove steadily, as if he had not just killed five people in succession.

“What do you mean by that…?” Peng Min thought of something, and joy blossomed in her heart.

“Mm-hmm. You understood me correctly. I’ll be living in KM City from now on. I’ll accompany you home first so I can meet your parents and relatives. After that, you can stay at home if you want, or move out and live with me. It’s up to you.” Huang Yu spoke plainly.

As he continued, a smile appeared on his face. He reached out and patted Peng Min on the head.

He had often done the same thing to Li Jia in the past.

When it came to Peng Min, Huang Yu always treated her much as he had treated Li Jia. He found himself unable to refuse her requests. Many times, he regarded her as Li Jia, even though the two women looked nothing alike and had entirely different personalities.

Yet, in unguarded moments, he could always see a trace of Li Jia in Peng Min.

Perhaps it was because Li Jia’s farewell letter had expressed her gratitude toward Peng Min again and again, asking him to take care of her as much as he was able.

And so, he wanted to repay through Peng Min everything he owed Li Jia, everything he had failed to do for her.

“Perhaps spending the rest of my life with her wouldn’t be so bad,” Huang Yu thought.

Peng Min thoroughly enjoyed his affectionate gesture. When she heard that he would accompany her home to meet her parents and had even asked whether she wanted to move out and live with him, her heart was already overflowing with happiness.

Li Jia herself probably never could have dreamed that things would develop this way.

“When are we leaving?” Peng Min asked cheerfully.

Earlier, she had still been wondering what excuse she could use to remain here with Huang Yu for a few more days. Now she was already thinking about when they could leave for KM City together.

“The day after tomorrow is my first official day at work. We’ll go back and pack in a while, then set out today. We can drive straight there and arrive in KM City tonight. We’ll rest at a hotel for the night, visit your parents and relatives tomorrow, and then make time to look around the villa district near my workplace and choose a villa.” Huang Yu thought it over before answering.

The two of them talked about many things along the way.

As they chatted, Peng Min discovered that no matter what she asked, Huang Yu always answered her seriously.

Most of the time, then, she asked the questions and he provided the answers.

Many of her questions concerned his exact line of work and his university life. She did not ask about his parents, as though she deliberately avoided that subject.

At around seven in the evening, Huang Yu and Peng Min arrived at the KM International Grand Hotel, the same five-star hotel where Huang Yu had been staying previously.

As before, they booked the presidential suite, which had a single king-size bed.

They had been sleeping together every night for some time, so there was naturally no reason to reserve separate rooms.

The presidential suite of a five-star hotel opened Peng Min’s eyes wide.

When she learned that it cost more than fifty thousand yuan per day, she nearly fainted.

At nine that evening, inside the presidential suite, Peng Min ate fruit from an elaborate platter and thought, “Is this what life is like for the truly wealthy? I really don’t understand it.”

At this hotel, the swimming pool, fitness center, and most of the food and drinks in the restaurant were free for guests staying in the presidential suite.

Peng Min remembered how Huang Yu had taken her to the music restaurant on the top floor for dinner. Looking down over KM City’s dazzling nightscape while listening to live piano music as they ate, she had felt as though she were living in a dream.

She ate fruit while playing with the latest smartphone on the market, familiarizing herself with its functions.

She had never imagined that life could be lived this way.

Huang Yu had bought the phone for her after noticing that she did not have one, back when they were still in PE City.

At the time, the phone had been the most expensive model available, costing more than nine thousand yuan. She had thought it extravagant to use and handled it with extreme care whenever she took it out, afraid of scratching or damaging it.

Now, however, she no longer had any such concerns. After all, they had already stayed in a presidential suite that cost more than fifty thousand yuan for a single night. What did one phone matter by comparison?

“Sister Li Jia, you were with a boyfriend like this for more than two years, yet all you knew was that he was probably a wealthy second-generation heir, and that his family might have some money.

“Huang Yu isn’t merely rich. He’s unimaginably wealthy.

“Of course, his father is a major drug lord and may have other businesses as well. With that much money, it makes sense.”

As Peng Min was thinking this, Huang Yu emerged from the bathroom wearing a bathrobe.

“Xiaomin, you go wash up,” he said when he saw her playing with her phone.

Peng Min stood, walked over to him, rose onto her toes, and kissed him on the cheek before turning toward the bathroom.

“Yu, I’m not locking the door. What I said earlier about taking a bath together still counts. I’ll wait for you inside.” She reached the bathroom doorway, then suddenly turned around and said mischievously.

When they had returned to the suite after dinner, she had suggested that they take a bath together, but Huang Yu had refused. She had noticed, however, that he had blushed.

Peng Min had kept that incident in mind ever since.

She had even teased him about it, saying that after everything they had done together, he still became shy.

Huang Yu looked at the bathroom door, which had been left slightly ajar, and shook his head in exasperation. He then went to the desk, picked up the same history book as before, and began to read.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Just as Huang Yu was absorbed in his book, someone suddenly embraced him from behind.

He could clearly smell the familiar, delicate fragrance of the person holding him. He knew it all too well—it was Peng Min’s.

“What are you reading, darling? It’s already very late. We should go to bed.” Peng Min leaned over and whispered softly into his ear.

The next day, Huang Yu did not wake until the sun was high in the sky. When he checked the time, it was nearly eight in the morning.

“Xiaomin, it’s daylight. Wake up.” He shook Peng Min beside him.

Clinging to his arm, she merely murmured twice before drifting back to sleep.

After calling her several times without success, Huang Yu stopped trying.

Over the past few days, he had already learned that Peng Min had a habit of sleeping late in the mornings. It might have been a habit she had developed during her years working as a hostess at a nightclub, and it was not something she could change in a day or two.

Huang Yu pulled his arm free and got out of bed. When he turned back to look at Peng Min, he saw her hands searching for him. When they found nothing, she rolled over and continued sleeping.

He walked to the window and drew open the curtains, allowing the sunlight outside to pour into the room.

At first, Peng Min frowned as the sunlight fell across her face. Then she rolled over again.

Speechless, Huang Yu walked to the bedside and whispered into her ear, “If you’re up after I finish washing, I’ll agree to what you asked for last night. We’ll go shopping first and buy some things.”

After speaking, he made sure she had heard him before leaving the room to wash up in the bathroom.

When he came out, Huang Yu found that Peng Min was no longer lying down. She had sat up, but her eyes were still closed, and she swayed unsteadily as though she might lie down and fall asleep again at any moment.

The sight made Huang Yu laugh despite himself.

A few minutes later, Peng Min brushed her teeth while circling around Huang Yu. With her mouth full of foam, she spoke indistinctly about whether she was truly awake and whether they were really going shopping soon.

When Huang Yu finally gave her a definite answer, she jumped for joy. Ignoring the foam in her mouth, she tried to kiss him.

Huang Yu pushed her away with great disdain and did not let her succeed.

Peng Min immediately continued brushing her teeth with an indignant expression, staring fixedly at Huang Yu as if to say, “You dared to make me angry.”

Huang Yu felt helpless. Her stare made him uncomfortable, so he bent down slightly and kissed her on the cheek.

She brightened at once, humming some little tune as she skipped toward the bathroom.

The gesture was almost like a victor showing off after winning a battle.

Seeing this, Huang Yu could only smile wryly and shake his head. He thought to himself that she was still like a child. Then he remembered that Peng Min was only twenty years old this year, and his exasperation eased.