Can a System Have Bad Intentions? - Chapter 64

The next morning, after breakfast, Lu Tang and Qin Mo left Qiao Village, taking Qiao Tiezhu’s youngest son with them.

Qiao Tiezhu knew exactly why Lu Tang was taking his son but didn’t dare to say much. In fact, Lu Tang taking his son made him feel somewhat relieved.

Taking his son meant the young master still found him useful.

The young master was kind-hearted, so in the future…

At most, he would have to leave Qiao Village and find a new place to live, but at least their lives would be spared.

As for Gu Yunhe, he could only pray that Gu Yunhe would lose to the young master. If the young master lost in the end…

Well!

What choice did he have anyway!

Qiao Tiezhu’s youngest son, Qiao Gui, was sixteen and unmarried. He had no idea about any of this and thought he had been chosen by the young master. He was so happy that he couldn’t stop smiling and sat on the carriage’s front seat, humming tunes all the way.

I, Qiao Gui, am going to reach the pinnacle of life!

Lu Tang, sitting inside the carriage, looked at Qiao Gui’s back with a complex expression. She rubbed her temples and turned to Qin Mo, “I need to go back to the county. I’ll drop you off at the entrance of Sihe Town.”

Given how things had progressed, Lu Tang knew she needed to tell her mother and sister.

This was beyond her capabilities; she needed to inform her family.

Qin Mo had guessed her thoughts and said, “You didn’t bring a servant. What if you encounter mountain bandits on the way? With your slender arms and legs, I’ll go with you.”

Lu Tang:

You’re the biggest bandit!

Rolling her eyes, Lu Tang was about to refuse when Qin Mo added, “I have business there too.”

Lu Tang shut her mouth.

When they arrived at the county and returned home, the steward, Qiao Fu, told her that her mother and sister had gone to the capital. They had left yesterday.

Lu Tang felt like stomping her feet.

Why did her mother and sister go to the capital without her!

Not seeing her mother and sister, she had to return to Sihe Town.

Qin Mo said he had business in the county, but he stayed in the carriage the whole time. He spent the entire day just accompanying Lu Tang.

Lu Tang realized that he was simply looking out for her and appreciated his kindness.

When they returned to the Qiao Family Inn, it was already night. As soon as she got out of the carriage, Lu Tang said to Qin Mo, “What do you want to eat? It’s on me today.”

Before Qin Mo could answer, Liang Cheng dashed out of the inn and hugged Lu Tang, pulling her into his embrace.

Qin Mo’s good mood vanished instantly, replaced by an inexplicable irritation. He shot Liang Cheng a cold glance and without a word, headed into the inn and upstairs.

Liang Cheng let go of Lu Tang only after Qin Mo went upstairs. But before he could release her, Lu Tang kicked his shin, “Are you crazy? Trying to choke me to death?”

Lu Tang’s face was red from the tight hug. After taking a couple of deep breaths, she glared at Liang Cheng.

Liang Cheng scratched his head and laughed, “Sorry.”

He showed no sign of guilt.

Lu Tang ignored him and walked into the inn. Just then, Zhou Shu, Xu Shen, and Guo Dawei came out together, shouting, “Welcome back, Tang!”

“Was everything okay at the inn while I was away?” Lu Tang asked as she poured herself a cup of tea from a teapot on the guest table.

Zhou Shu replied, “Don’t worry, Tang. We’ve got everything under control. We even had two new guests today, a father and son. They’re staying on the second floor and just finished dinner.”

Xu Shen glanced at Liang Cheng and added, “The inn was fine, but someone did have a bit of a situation.”

Lu Tang remembered Qin Mo’s words about Er Bao’s brother being poisoned at Western Mountain Camp and suspected it was related to Gu Yunhe. Now that Gu Yunhe was in Sihe Town, her heart sank. “What situation?”

Liang Cheng, thinking Lu Tang was concerned about him, punched Xu Shen lightly, “Stop making things up. I’m fine.”

Lu Tang:

She turned to look at Liang Cheng.

Guo Dawei said, “Last night, when you didn’t come back, Liang Cheng stayed up all night in the main hall, like a lovesick woman waiting for her husband.”

Zhou Shu chuckled, “Good thing Liang Cheng’s a guy. If he were a girl, we’d think you two had something going on!”

As soon as Zhou Shu finished, he realized something was off. He turned to Guo Dawei and asked, “Wait, how did you know Liang Cheng stayed up all night in the hall?”

This morning, when Guo Dawei mentioned it, he and Xu Shen teased Liang Cheng without thinking. Now it seemed suspicious.

Guo Dawei replied calmly, “Because I stayed up all night too.”

Zhou Shu’s eyes widened, “You stayed up too? Why?”

Guo Dawei put an arm around Lu Tang’s shoulders, “What else? Worried about Tang, of course. With Tang and that Qin guy not returning all night, I was afraid Tang might be in trouble.”

Xu Shen nodded, “Yep, I stayed up too.”

Liang Cheng:

Why did you all have to join in!

If you didn’t sleep and I didn’t sleep, then I’m not that special?

But before Liang Cheng could say anything, Zhou Shu jumped back, “You all stayed up? Then why did you tease Liang Cheng?”

Liang Cheng: Yeah, why tease me?

Guo Dawei and Xu Shen exchanged glances and said in unison, “Because we can’t tease ourselves.”

Lu Tang: What a mess!

Still, she appreciated their concern. Hugging Xu Shen on her right and Guo Dawei on her left, Lu Tang said, “Alright, alright. I’m starving. Let’s eat!”

Just then, a timid voice came from the entrance, “Liang Cheng.”

Everyone turned to see Xue Tian standing nervously at the door. “Liang Cheng, I need to talk to you. Can you come out for a moment?”

The lively atmosphere in the hall instantly froze as everyone looked at Liang Cheng.

Liang Cheng’s hand twitched slightly, and his face stiffened for a moment. Forcing a smile, he said to Lu Tang, “You go ahead and eat. I’ll be back soon.”

Lu Tang didn’t ask further, just watched as Liang Cheng went out.

As soon as he left, Zhou Shu said, “Xue Tian’s up to no good.”

Lu Tang sat down at a guest table, “Why do you say that?”

Xu Shen explained, “Yesterday, he came to interview for the chef position. He was average, and the chefs we kept said he could only be an assistant. But we don’t have any part-time positions, so Liang Cheng turned him down. Although he left reluctantly, he didn’t say much.”

Guo Dawei, lowering his voice and looking around like a spy, added, “My servant told me that after leaving here, he went to Lu Yuchen’s house.”

Lu Tang was shocked.

Xue Tian went to see Gu Yunhe?

Is every character connected to Gu Yunhe?

This is getting ridiculous!