Cat 227: The Real and Fake Lord Jiu

Chapter 227: The Real and Fake Lord Jiu

But Lord Jiu on the other side gave no reply.

Yan Jiyun listened closely. Why wasn’t this Lord Jiu speaking? Was he really Qi Feng?

The Qi Feng he had just seen was brimming with aura, dressed in a long trench coat straight out of grand Shanghai—handsome and commanding, masculinity personified. The one thing that struck Yan Jiyun as odd was that, from earlier until now, not a single word had passed his lips.

The gentle female voice sounded again, “Lord Jiu? How about I put on a record? I’ll dance with you.”

Lord Jiu, sparing with his words, answered, “Mm, play some music.”

It was Qi Feng’s voice, only lower than usual this time.

The gentle voice continued, “Then let me pour you another drink.”

Still with the drinking and listening to music.

Standing behind the bedroom door, Yan Jiyun kept mulling things over—what a life he led, surrounded by softness and beauty, the woman before him talented in both song and dance, thoughtful and understanding. What man wouldn’t be moved?

A lilting violin melody flowed out from the gramophone, romantic and lovely.

The music masked the sound of Liu Rongzhi’s footsteps; an ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to hear their conversation.

“Lord Jiu, may I have this dance?”

Yan Jiyun almost wanted to push the door open to see what expression “Lord Jiu” was wearing. Was he enjoying it? Appreciating it? Eager to take part? He couldn’t help but wish for a crack to watch through—his curiosity was overwhelming.

Back before he knew Qi Feng was an infinite flow player, whenever Qi Feng returned from an instance, he’d head straight home, only rarely going out with friends.

At the time, it never seemed odd that Qi Feng didn’t date. Maybe he just hadn’t thought about it, so much so that he had no idea what kind of woman Qi Feng might like—gentle, sexy, the delicate type, playful and cute, or lively and straightforward?

Originally, Yan Jiyun regarded Liu Rongzhi as merely a task NPC, but now he was curious to see what exactly made this woman so special, enough to charm someone like Qi Feng into spending money to book her. The expenditure wasn’t the main point; it was that the two were alone together, yet hadn’t mentioned anything related to the mission.

Just what sort of breathtaking beauty was she?

The soft music continued to drift from the lounge. Yan Jiyun waited for “Lord Jiu’s” reply.

He counted silently, and just as he reached three, he heard a response.

Lord Jiu: “No, I’m not much interested in dancing.”

Liu Rongzhi wasn’t offended, laughing lightly: “I didn’t know Lord Jiu had such a sense of humor. Then I’ll just keep you company for a drink.”

Yan Jiyun: ……

Wasn’t “Lord Jiu’s” answer a refusal? How is that being humorous? No wonder she was a star in the world of romance—she could bring even the dead back to life with her charm.

Not just dancing, but drinking, too. Clearly he had underestimated her—he was far too naive and inexperienced.

Normally, Yan Jiyun was patient, but today he was restless, wondering why “Lord Jiu” hadn’t entered mission mode. Did he come here just for pleasure and not to play the game?

He heard the clinking of glassware—sure enough, the two of them were sharing a drink.

Liu Rongzhi certainly deserved her reputation as Jiangnan’s leading socialite. Even with “Lord Jiu” saying little, she managed to move deftly from topic to topic, probing cleverly when he stayed silent.

After chatting for a while, she stood and picked up the wine bottle to refill “Lord Jiu’s” glass. But then, as if by accident—or was it?—the inevitable happened.

Whether by design or mishap, Liu Rongzhi spilled wine on “Lord Jiu’s” sleeve as she poured.

No matter how he analyzed it, this didn’t seem like something a seasoned hostess, practiced at reading people, should do. She should never have missed the glass.

“Ah, Lord Jiu, I’m sorry—I’ve dirtied your jacket. Would you like to change?”

Such a move was a little crude; Liu Rongzhi was openly making a flirtatious advance. What surprised Yan Jiyun most was that “Lord Jiu” did not object.

Lord Jiu: “Have someone bring me a change of clothes. I’ll take a shower.”

Liu Rongzhi covered her reaction well: “Then let me run your bath.”

Lord Jiu: “No need.”

Liu Rongzhi: “Then I’ll ask someone outside to bring you some clothes.”

Lord Jiu: “Mm, do.”

Yan Jiyun thought, isn’t Lord Jiu just taking advantage of the opportunity to get rid of her? Maybe he’d misunderstood; “Lord Jiu’s” reaction seemed normal, seizing the chance to send her away.

He heard the door open.

There were no bodyguards outside the door. Liu Rongzhi had to walk to the head of the stairs on the third floor to summon someone, then wait for them to fetch “Lord Jiu’s” clothes from the car.

Was this all planned by “Lord Jiu”?

But no—the man wasn’t rifling through Liu Rongzhi’s room, but actually heading to the bathroom.

Now Yan Jiyun was a little confused—what was really going on? Was he just acting the part to the hilt?

He rather wanted a shower himself; he had an annoying sticky feeling all over.

While Yan Jiyun was thinking this, the sound of running water came from the bathroom.

He actually started washing up?

“Lord Jiu” really wasn’t fussy.

Yan Jiyun didn’t rush out recklessly. He glanced at his experience card: if Lord Jiu truly was Qi Feng in disguise, he didn’t need to worry, but there was a strange feeling about it—on the surface, this man was Qi Feng, but without meeting face to face, he didn’t dare reveal himself. What if it was a game trap?

After encountering duplicates in the elite instance, his vigilance had markedly increased.

If this man wasn’t Qi Feng, rushing out now would be death.

After weighing it for a few seconds, Yan Jiyun decided not to renew his experience card—being in human form was inconvenient at this point.

“Lord Jiu” was in the bathroom, so no one was in the lounge. He heard no other movement.

Carefully, he eased the door open a few centimeters and peered out—sure enough, the room was empty. Liu Rongzhi walked noisily; he would know the moment she returned.

He opened the gap to ten centimeters, enough to clearly see the situation outside, but had no intention of leaving the bedroom just yet.

If there was anything important, it was more likely Liu Rongzhi had hidden it in her bedroom rather than the lounge—a meeting space was never safe.

Yan Jiyun stuck his head out and took in the whole room.

The bathroom was near the bedroom, with a warm yellow light shining inside, the sound of water splashing. Through the opaque glass, he could see a tall silhouette undressing.

Had he not yet started to bathe?

“Lord Jiu’s” coat was draped over the sofa, a pair of men’s leather shoes on the floor.

The sofa bore a splash of red wine, as did the floor. Liu Rongzhi must have been aiming for that result.

The lounge’s layout was crystal clear: a sectional sofa, a wine cabinet stocked with bottles, an old-fashioned gramophone set on display, the windows open so the breeze played with the curtains. This was the third floor—could anyone outside see what was happening here?

Still the sound of water from the bathroom.

Yan Jiyun decided to risk it and tried to get a fix on the scent on that coat—it was the best way to identify “Lord Jiu.”

If Lord Jiu was Qi Feng, things would be easy, another teammate in hand; if not, they’d have yet another NPC to investigate, doubling the mission’s difficulty.

Because Lord Jiu was an as-yet-unknown new character—enemy or ally, it was uncertain.

Yan Jiyun crept, crouched and on tiptoe, toward the sofa.

He had to admit, the socialite knew what she was doing—the lounge was large, at least a hundred square meters, and it took some time to cross.

He moved toward the sofa, all the while listening for sounds from the bathroom.

Damn, the coat was placed at the farthest corner from the bedroom—there was even a coat rack by the door, but it wasn’t used.

Just as he was about to reach the coat, the water in the bathroom stopped!

Yan Jiyun heard footsteps approaching. He instantly ducked and bolted back toward the bedroom; just as the bathroom door clicked open, he darted inside, quickly pulling the door shut, the speed matching the bathroom door’s opening so the click sounded simultaneous.

Complete silence at the bathroom door.

Lord Jiu, having come out, didn’t move toward the sofa, but instead turned to look at the bedroom.

He strode straight over.

He hadn’t heard the main door open while the water was running; Liu Rongzhi hadn’t returned—otherwise, she’d be standing before him holding the shirt by now.

Was someone in the bedroom?

Yan Jiyun’s heart pounded. He pressed his back against the door, hearing Lord Jiu’s steps draw near.

His own movements had been extremely light, but his hearing was excellent, and the other man’s legs long—he was at the door in the blink of an eye.

Why walk so fast?

The experience card was almost out—just a little bit left.

Yan Jiyun wanted to throw the lock, but realized Lord Jiu’s hand was already on the handle.

He was so close to knowing whether Lord Jiu was Qi Feng. Too bad, just a step too late.

He braced his back against the door as the man lightly gripped the handle.

Was he really Qi Feng?

The handle started to turn.

Yan Jiyun held his breath. The experience card still hadn’t expired.

[Human Form Experience Card: 40 seconds remaining]

Even with only forty seconds left, if he revealed himself—whether the real Qi Feng or not—he would have no way to explain, especially with Liu Rongzhi bound to return soon.

The handle pressed all the way down; Lord Jiu tried to push in once—no movement.

Normally, if the handle can be pressed, it means the lock isn’t engaged.

This was Liu Rongzhi’s bedroom—she couldn’t have locked the door knowing she had a guest tonight, especially after deliberately spoiling his shirt.

Lord Jiu gave another shove, still no luck.

Yan Jiyun braced one foot under a cabinet, using it for leverage against the door. With uncertainty, the man wouldn’t force it open—he would only suspect something was amiss.

Just as Lord Jiu tried one last push, another click sounded—this time, from the main entrance.

Yan Jiyun wiped sweat from his forehead. Liu Rongzhi was back.

Lord Jiu released the door handle, not insisting further.

Liu Rongzhi bustled in, presenting him the bag with his shirt: “Lord Jiu, here’s your shirt.”

Lord Jiu nodded. “Mm, I’ll rest a bit. Why won’t the bedroom door open—is the lock broken?”

Liu Rongzhi’s voice showed a faint surprise: “No, the bedroom lock isn’t broken.”

She walked over and opened the door easily.

Lord Jiu put on his coat and followed Liu Rongzhi into the bedroom.

At that moment, Yan Jiyun finally transformed back into a cat. Under the bed was a layer of dust; unable to help it, he sneezed.

Lord Jiu turned to Liu Rongzhi, who, startled, clutched her chest and hid behind him for protection. “I-I don’t know what it is!”

Lord Jiu’s eyes were fixed beneath the bed. He crouched in a flash, looking under, but before he could make out what it was, a black cat shot out, sprang onto the soft bed, and lay there, vivid green eyes gazing up at him.

That look seemed to say—would you like to rest together?