r18novel Chapter 897 Xiao Bao
Chapter 897 Xiao Bao
Xu Damao followed Lu Jia closely, calculating something in his mind—he'd originally hoped to find a chance to chat with her, but the longer he walked, the more he felt something was amiss. This winding road wasn't the route Lu Jia usually took to work. Could she be going somewhere else?
Lu Jia's only thought at the moment was to see those people as soon as possible. They were the helpers her brother Lu Yan had left behind before he died, but after so much time, she had never met them in person, and she had no idea if they were still waiting for her at the agreed place. She only remembered her brother mentioning that the leader was called Xiao Bao, but she had no idea what the others looked like or what their personalities were.
Xu Damao followed behind, his heart in turmoil. He couldn't fathom Lu Jia's thoughts, wondering if she had spotted him and was deliberately leading him down this secluded road. He hesitated, unsure whether to continue following, even considering retreating. But before he could make a decision, a sharp pain shot through the back of his neck, and his vision went black. He was knocked unconscious.
Elsewhere, Lu Jia had taken a few steps forward when she suddenly felt a cold sensation on her neck. A sharp knife was already at her neck. A deep voice rang out in her ears: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Lu Jia suppressed her panic, gathered herself, looked at the other person and said, "I'm Lu Yan's sister, Lu Jia. My brother once said that if he ever got into trouble, he'd come here to find you. I wonder if you still recognize this agreement?"
The man holding the knife paused when he heard this, looked at Lu Jia carefully for a moment, and asked, "Are you really Lu Jia?"
Lu Jia nodded vigorously. At this moment, the man slowly put away his knife, revealing a face that wasn't exactly kind but rather calm. He said, "I'm Xiao Bao. Why did you come to us just now? Were you bullied out there? When your brother died, he entrusted you to me. It was an emergency at the time, so I couldn't take a photo of you. I've been waiting here all these years, hoping you'd come."
Lu Jia's nose felt sore as she listened to Xiao Bao's words, and her heart felt both warm and bitter. She hadn't expected that in such a critical situation, her brother would still remember to leave a helper for her. This thought brought warmth to her eyes.
She was just about to ask how many people they had, so she could have a rough idea, when one of Xiao Bao's men suddenly came over, escorting someone. That person was none other than Xu Damao, who had been knocked unconscious and then reawakened. The man looked at Xiao Bao and said in a low voice, "Boss, this guy has been following this girl around like a sly creature. He definitely has bad intentions. Should we just…" As he spoke, he made a gesture as if he was wiping his neck, clearly feeling that Xu Damao knew something he shouldn't have, and keeping him around would be a nuisance.
Lu Jia's gaze suddenly focused, sharp as a cold star. She immediately recognized the man being brought in by Xiao Bao's men, his arms tied behind his back—who else could it be but Xu Damao? Her heart sank, as if gripped by an invisible hand. She quickly turned to look at Xiao Bao beside her, her voice unconsciously filled with anxiety: "Brother Xiao, this man...did he see you?"
Xiao Bao followed her gaze, frowning slightly. He then turned to look at the man who was holding the man and asked in a deep voice, "What happened? Did he see your faces when he was awake just now?"
The subordinate quickly shook his head, his face showing a bit of disdain for Xu Damao. "Don't worry, Boss. We spotted him just as he was sneaking up on us. Before he could react, the brothers punched him and knocked him unconscious. He didn't even have time to blink and didn't see a thing."
Xiao Bao finally breathed a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he turned to look at Lu Jia, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: "Why, do you know this guy?"
Xiao Bao's men, former gang members, had been involved in the underworld, their livelihoods rife with bloodshed. The mere smell of their hands could scare off half a street, and they were accustomed to murder, not batting an eyelid. However, Xiao Bao later decided to retire and changed his ways with his brothers, and their aggressiveness gradually subsided. Their decision to help Lu Jia this time was because Lu Jia's father, Lu Yan, had once saved their brothers' lives in a critical moment. This debt had been weighing on their hearts for years, and now was the time to repay it.
Lu Jia nodded gently, her tone as flat as if she was talking to an insignificant stranger: "We're just acquaintances, neighbors who live in the same courtyard. Who knows why he followed me around, but fortunately he didn't find out about you, so that's good."
One of Xiao Bao's most impatient members glanced at Xu Damao, who was tied up like a dumpling on the ground, and approached Xiao Bao and said, "Boss, I think this guy is a nuisance if he's still around. We might as well just kill him and be done with it. We won't have him gossiping everywhere when he wakes up. If the news gets out, it'll be a big trouble."
Hearing this, Lu Jia quickly waved her hand to stop him, her tone firm: "Brother Xiao, this man cannot be killed yet. Although he is not a good guy and likes to stir up trouble in the courtyard on weekdays, if he dies inexplicably like this, the courtyard will definitely be in an uproar. By then, everyone will be in danger and panic, and what we really want to do will be difficult to carry out." She knew clearly in her mind that the person she wanted to deal with most at the moment was Gu Nan. Xu Damao was at most an annoying fly, and it was not necessary to get rid of him. There was no need to lose the big picture for the sake of small things and disrupt the entire plan.
Xiao Bao stroked his chin and pondered for a moment. He felt that what Lu Jia said was indeed reasonable, so he waved his hand to the impatient subordinate and said, "Alright, stop thinking about it. We can find a secluded place later, drag him out and throw him far away. Anyway, we have already found Lu Jia, so there is no need to waste time here. Let's keep him."
The men nodded in agreement, and two of them stepped forward immediately, lifted up the unconscious Xu Damao like a dead dog, and dragged him out, leaving a shallow drag mark on the ground.
After Xu Damao was dragged away and the surroundings were completely quiet, Xiao Bao said to Lu Jia, "There are too many people here, and even walls have ears. It's not a good place to talk. Let's go somewhere safer. If you have any problems, just tell me. As long as the brothers can do it, we will definitely do it."
Lu Jia nodded, saying nothing more, and followed Xiao Bao through several quiet alleys until they arrived at a rather low-key pub. The pub was small, with a faded wooden plaque hanging on the door. It looked unremarkable, and among the surrounding shops, it was difficult to attract a second glance.
"This is my place. My brothers usually stay here too. It's very safe. If you have any problems in the future, just come here to find me." Xiao Bao said as he pushed open the wooden door of the tavern.