Chapter 23

Lin Shanchu smiled slightly and did not answer.

Lu Shiyuan’s heart was moved by her gentle and obedient appearance.

He reached out and pulled his tie, then lowered his head to kiss Lin Shanchu.

Lin Shanchu had spent the last 16 years with him, so she knew his personality and habits like the back of her hand.

When Lu Shiyuan finished pulling his tie, she took a step back and perfectly avoided his kiss.

“It’ll be too late if you don’t set off now.”

The girl had a smile on her face. She stood one step away from him, as gentle as a cat.

The displeasure in Lu Shiyuan’s heart dissipated a little. “I’ll be leaving first.”

The smile on Lin Shanchu’s face disappeared as she watched Lu Shiyuan’s car drive away.

Lu Shiyuan was like this.

Occasionally, he would also show that he liked her a little.

She was too lacking in love and regarded him as too important.

As long as he showed a little goodwill, she would be like a moth flying into the fire, fully devoting herself to this relationship.

Lin Shanchu returned to the villa and looked at the time.

It was eight o’clock sharp.

Huo Xunzhou would probably call her soon.

She was curious if Huo Xunzhou would come to Lu Manor to look for her if she could not get through to him.

Probably not.

Compared to the others, Huo Xunzhou was indeed a good person.

He was a good person with a cold heart.

He knew that she was in a difficult situation, but he did not pity her.

He had also said that no one could help her except herself.

She felt that what he said made sense.

Instead of hoping that others might save her, she might as well rely on herself.

In the courtyard, the butler was instructing the servants to trim the flowers and plants.

Lin Shanchu walked over.

Lu Manor was built over 20 years ago.

There were many large trees in the courtyard.

Lin Shanchu looked up and stared at a humongous tree.

“Ms. Lin, what’s wrong with the tree?” Butler Xu asked.

“This tree is an eyesore.” Lin Shanchu’s tone was very light as if she was just casually chatting with him. “Get rid of it.”

Butler Xu was speechless.

Seeing that she was still focused on the tree, the butler walked to the side and called Lu Shiyuan.

“Young master, Ms. Lin said that she wanted to uproot the tree in the eastern corner of the courtyard.”

“Do as she wishes.”

Lu Shiyuan thought that it was probably because there was no internet at home and she was bored, so she wanted to find something for the butler and servants to do.

It was just a small fight, so he let her be.

“Alright,” he said.

The butler instructed the servants to pull the tree out.

The tree was big and had deep roots, so uprooting the tree was a big project.

“Come over and help.” Lin Shanchu called all the servants over.

This tree could only be uprooted after half a day’s time.

Butler Xu called for the bodyguards at the door to help.

“You guys take your time. I’m going back to take a nap.” Lin Shanchu yawned lazily and turned to walk into the villa.

She didn’t go back to her room straight away.

First, she turned off the fire emergency system in the villa. Then, she went to Lu Shiyuan’s study.

Lu Shiyuan’s precious things were all in the study.

Important contracts as well as his late mother’s memento.

His study faced the backyard. One could see the green forest through the window.

Lin Shanchu took out a lighter.

She lifted the curtain and lit it.

The expensive silk curtains were quickly swallowed by the flames.

The fire quickly spread to the wooden bookshelves.

The old villa of more than 20 years was set on fire.

Soon, the entire room was engulfed in a sea of fire.

Lin Shanchu stood at the door and stared for two seconds. Then, she opened the next door with a blank expression.

Finally, it was her own room.

She picked up the case and started a fire in the room.

When she went downstairs, she noticed that the servants in the courtyard were still uprooting the trees.

No one noticed that the villa had already become an inferno.

Lin Shanchu quietly went to the backyard.

According to the original novel, the villa was built on the mountainside and had an excellent ecological environment. Wild animals often destroyed the courtyard’s walls in order to steal food.

In the corner of the backyard, there was a hole that was as tall as half a person covered by vines.

In the novel, Lin Shanchu escaped through that hole after getting imprisoned by Lu Shiyuan.

It was midsummer, so the fire in the old villa spread very quickly.

Lin Shanchu didn’t walk too far with her case when she saw Lu Manor being swallowed by the flames.

She stopped to watch the scene.

A smile gradually appeared in her clear and bright eyes.

It was as if she had seen the most beautiful scenery in the world, which fascinated her.

The thing that trapped her.

She had burned it.

…

When Lu Shiyuan received the news and rushed back to Lu Manor, what he saw was the ruins that was burned by a raging fire.

It was completely different from the home he was familiar with.

The police and firefighters had arrived.

The scene was chaotic.

A police officer walked over to Lu Shiyuan.

“Mr. Lu, we’re still investigating the cause of the fire…”

Lu Shiyuan looked around in a daze. He didn’t hear what the police officer said at all.

“Mr. Lu?”

“Where’s Lin Shanchu?”

Lu Shiyuan’s expression started to become anxious and uneasy.

The servants and bodyguards of the Lu family were all there except for Lin Shanchu.

“We’ve done a preliminary investigation and haven’t found any bodies at the site. The detailed results need time to be verified, so please wait patiently.”

Lu Shiyuan only caught the main point of the sentence. They didn’t find any bodies in the fire field.

There was no corpse, which meant that Lin Shanchu was not dead.

Lin Shanchu did not die, so where did she go?

Lin Shanchu’s every move over the past few days flashed through his mind like a film reel.

He suddenly understood that Lin Shanchu’s obedience and meekness these few days were just a disguise.

She had carefully planned this escape under his eyes.

She had made use of everyone in the Lu family, including him.

He had never realized that Lin Shanchu had such a trick up her sleeve.

The thought of this made Lu Shiyuan laugh in a self-deprecating way. However, his laughter gradually became gloomy and ruthless.

Tang Qidai said that Lin Shanchu was just confused for a moment and asked him to give Lin Shanchu another chance.

He had already given her the chance.

She was the one who didn’t cherish it.

Lin Shanchu!

Don’t let me catch you!

Otherwise, I’ll definitely make you wish you were dead.

…

After Lin Shanchu left Lu Manor, she avoided the main road.

After walking on the path for a long time, she finally flagged down a taxi on the sidewalk.

The first thing she did when she arrived in the city was to get a new phone number.

A call came in as soon as she turned it on.

The number belonged to an overseas country.

A smile appeared on Lin Shanchu’s face.

There was only one person who would call her from overseas.

“Uncle.”

“Shanshan, I saw the news about the fire at Lu Manor on the internet. Are you alright?”

The young man’s anxious voice came from the phone.

Lin Shanchu explained patiently, “I’m okay. I’m not at Lu Manor. I’m outside.”

Lin Suguang heaved a sigh of relief.

“I went up the mountain with my friends recently. The signal was bad, so I didn’t get much internet access. I only found out about the incidents you were involved in when I got back today.”

Lin Suguang’s tone suddenly turned serious. “Shanshan, I’ve decided to return to Xu City.”

“The contract you signed hasn’t expired yet, right? What are you returning for? I’ll be very busy from now on, so I don’t have time to take care of you!” Lin Shanchu pretended to be disgusted.

“What are you busy with?”

“You’ll know when the time comes.”