Chapter 78

The earth had long since fallen asleep, and a gentle breeze blew, bringing a refreshing coolness to the summer heat. Apart from the occasional bark of a dog, the deserted street was silent.

August 8th.

The full moon was missing a large part.

Under the faint light, Wu Fan had been squatting in the shadow of a large tree for two hours, his eyes fixed on the delicate figure of Linglong inside the memorial hall.

There was no movement.

Yes!

For a full two hours, Lan Shi, the second wife of Zhou Baihu, had not moved, remaining kneeling on the mat.

“Buzz, buzz~~~”

Mosquitoes kept flying around Wu Fan.

Being too close to Lan Shi, only about ten feet away, Wu Fan did not dare to move or swat the mosquitoes, for fear of alarming her. He could only wait for the mosquitoes to be satisfied and fly away.

But...

A mosquito kept buzzing around Wu Fan, landing on the tip of his nose as if taunting him.

Wu Fan could no longer bear it and slapped his nose... Instantly, a tingling sensation spread, and he couldn't help but sneeze.

“Achoo!”

Lan Shi became alert inside the memorial hall. Her legs were numb from kneeling for too long, and she staggered as she stood up, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at the courtyard.

“Who? Who's there?” Lan Shi nervously picked up a candlestick and shouted, “You... come out... if you don't come out, I... I'll call for help!”

*Damn! There's no tall building nearby, so the monocular is useless. I had to hide here and was still discovered!*

Wu Fan was frustrated and muttered to himself for a long time. However, he did not move from the shadow of the tree because the slap on his own face had woken him up, making him think of something!

Yesterday at Wagon Fort, Zhai Lingling had told Wu Fan that for some reason, Zhou Ling, who had a beautiful and delicate wife at home, always went to Piaoxiang Pavilion to see Duan Xiuxiu. What did this mean? It was simple: it meant that Zhou Ling's second wife, Lan Shi, did not have a good relationship with him, and it might even be very bad. Relationships are mutual; if Zhou Ling disliked Lan Shi, then... Lan Shi must also dislike Zhou Ling!

The problem was this!

Wu Fan always felt that something was not quite right, not quite in harmony. After slapping himself, he suddenly realized what it was. It was the grief and sorrow Lan Shi had shown during the memorial service yesterday! Now, thinking about it, it seemed fake, too fake! Moreover, Zhou Ling had already been cremated and buried for several days. Why was Lan Shi still keeping vigil for him without rest? Why? It didn't make sense! This was her husband who died, not her parents.

“Who! Come out! Come out!”

Lan Shi called out in panic, her beautiful face filled with unease.

Wu Fan's eyes twinkled, and a plan formed in his mind.

“Sister-in-law! It's me! Don't be alarmed!”

Stepping out from behind the tree, Wu Fan politely clasped his hands and smiled.

Lan Shi first breathed a sigh of relief, then still held the candlestick warily and asked, trembling, “Commander Wu... Commander... why are you here at night... what do you intend to do...?”

Wu Fan took a step closer to Lan Shi, staring at her beautiful face with a look of infatuation in his eyes. He licked his lips and said, “What do I intend to do? Hehehe! Sister-in-law, living alone here, don't you feel empty, lonely, and cold?”

“You! Don't come closer!” Lan Shi looked even more nervous, clearly seeing Wu Fan's evil intentions to do something immoral. She pointed the candlestick at Wu Fan and pleaded, “Commander Wu! The widow... the widow... I appreciate your kindness, but... but please, for the sake of my late husband's spirit... let me go! Let me go!”

“Hahaha...”

Wu Fan laughed sinisterly, his eyes filled with lust as he approached her step by step.

“Bang!”

With no place to retreat, Lan Shi was cornered between the incense table and the wall, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears.

Wu Fan's steps did not stop. He took one step after another, his eyes burning with desire.

“Are you going to hit me with this?” Wu Fan suddenly reached out and snatched the candlestick, pressing himself against Lan Shi. He swung the candlestick playfully and said, “Wow! Your crying face is really beautiful! Don't stop, I like this feeling!”

Lan Shi broke down, sobbing and glancing at Zhou Ling's memorial tablet, pleading, “No... not here...”

Silence.

After waiting for a long time with her eyes closed, Lan Shi opened them and saw that the smile and desire in Wu Fan's eyes had disappeared, replaced by a furrowed brow and an uncertain expression.

*Not her? Could she really be innocent?*

Wu Fan pondered deeply, unable to regain his composure for a long time.

“Thud!”

As Lan Shi collapsed on the ground, hugging her legs and crying, Wu Fan was also startled awake.

Sighing deeply, Wu Fan squatted to one side and clasped his hands, saying, “I'm sorry, Sister-in-law! I'm not the kind of person you think I am! I did this... because I suspected you of something, and I wanted to test you. I never intended to harm you!”

“Wah...”

Lan Shi cried even harder.

Wu Fan scratched his head, feeling helpless, and changed the subject, asking, “Sister-in-law, don't be angry. I... I often hear people say that you and Brother Zhou didn't get along. Why... why do you treat him like this? Keeping vigil for him...”

“He is my husband!” Lan Shi lifted her tear-streaked face and shouted, “I am his wife!”

“Get out! Get out of here!”

“Get out!”

Lan Shi, still in shock, screamed and cried.

Wu Fan clicked his tongue, took a deep breath, and wanted to say something but couldn't. He ran away as if fleeing from a battlefield.

The crying in the memorial hall continued for a long time before it finally subsided.

Wiping away her tears, a strange light flashed in Lan Shi's beautiful eyes. She stood up, not even glancing at the memorial tablet of Zhou Ling, which had fallen over, and rushed to the back door.

She opened the door and hurried out.

Then...

“You really put on a good act! I almost fell for it!” Wu Fan had not left; he appeared at the back door of Zhou Ling's house, a smile playing on his face as he said, “Have you heard the saying, 'Even the cleverest fox can't outsmart a good hunter'? Clearly, you've been exposed, Sister-in-law!”

Lan Shi pursed her lips, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said coldly, “Do you know that knowing too much can get you killed?”

Wu Fan laughed and clapped his hands, saying, “You don't even want to continue the act? I thought you might explain that you were seeking refuge with relatives to avoid my harassment! That would have been reasonable, after all, a widow who almost got raped would be too frightened to stay at home and would seek help from friends and family... If you had said that, I might have believed you! Tsk tsk, you're losing your composure! It seems you're really exposed now!”

Realizing that she had been tricked by Wu Fan, Lan Shi took a deep breath, her face filled with frustration.

Wu Fan grinned and asked, “If I had really stripped you and had my way with you, would you have submitted?”

Lan Shi frowned, thought for a moment, and nodded firmly, saying, “Yes!”

“Oh no!”

Wu Fan slapped his forehead, regretting it deeply!

“What a pity! What a pity!” Wu Fan looked at Lan Shi shamelessly and said, “How about... we pretend nothing happened, and I go back to my hiding spot and start over?”

Lan Shi's beautiful face turned ashen with anger, her teeth clenched, and she spat out two words, “Beast!”

...

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PS2: Thank you to Chiyu Xiangfeng for the 1988-point red envelope, to Nuo Nai Yisheng for the 100-point red envelope, and to Tianyin Shi for the full score review. Thanks a lot.

PS3: Please be kind with your reviews. I'm trying my best.

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