Chapter 248 Being Targeted

At Zhao Yanan's home.

Chu Yuxuan sat at the dining table, staring at the three dishes and one soup his wife had spent hours preparing, his eyes wide with astonishment.

"I haven't cooked in a long time, so my skills are a bit rusty..." Zhao Yanan said, her cheeks flushing. "The ribs have too much sugar and are a bit burnt... The rest should be okay. Try them?"

Chu Yuxuan looked at her, then at the blackened ribs on his plate that resembled something unrecognizable, and seemed incredulous. "Ribs?"

Zhao Yanan said, "You can eat the other dishes. I'll throw away the ribs later…"

Chu Yuxuan waved his hand and forced a smile. "How could I not eat something my wife made?"

He bravely picked up a piece of the ribs and slowly put it in his mouth...

"How is it?" Zhao Yanan asked with hopeful eyes. "Although it looks bad, it should taste okay, right?"

Chu Yuxuan tried to keep smiling, enduring the bitter taste of the ribs as he swallowed them. He then quickly poured himself a bowl of soup, hoping to rinse his mouth. Instead...

"Yanan, there's an old man selling salt downstairs who was killed. Did you have anything to do with it?"

Zhao Yanan was confused and took a moment to realize. Embarrassed, she said, "Is it too salty?"

Chu Yuxuan frowned, "It's not just salty, it's overpoweringly salty. Dear, from now on, I'll do the cooking. If you really want to help, you can wash the dishes. We definitely can't let you go down the path of harming your husband…"

Zhao Yanan pouted and muttered, "I tasted it and thought it was a bit bland, so I added more salt… Forget it, I'll eat it myself. You can order takeout."

At that moment, Old Fourth called.

"Big Brother, I'm being followed!"

Chu Yuxuan remained calm. "Where?"

"Near Dr. Zhou's clinic. I suspect it's someone from the Tianji Association. I'm being pursued, so be careful!"

"Got it."

After hanging up, Chu Yuxuan reassured Zhao Yanan and continued tasting the other two dishes, while his mind was occupied with thoughts.

The person following Old Fourth was likely from the Tianji Association.

When Chu Yuxuan supported Li Bin to become the leader of the Dongfang Association, he knew it wouldn't go unnoticed. After all, a petty thug suddenly becoming a bigshot in the underworld was suspicious. So, he deliberately spread rumors, creating a mysterious figure called the "Great Master" to divert attention and let others guess.

Recently, the Dongfang Association had been very active, with daily operations, raiding casinos during the day and competing for territory at night. This might have attracted the attention of the Tianji Association, leading them to suspect Chu Yuxuan was the "Great Master" behind the Dongfang Association. This might explain why they were keeping tabs on the brothers.

As he finished the last two dishes, Chu Yuxuan said with a smile, "The tomato and egg dish is okay. I'll deal with the rest. Didn't your friend bring a big bag of food? Heat it up and eat it."

Zhao Yanan, feeling defeated, agreed and went to the kitchen to heat the food.

Chu Yuxuan took out the trash and glanced around. Everything seemed normal.

Just as he was about to head back upstairs, Old Fifth called again.

"Big Brother, there was a drone hovering over the villa for about a minute. It disappeared. I think something's off."

This made Chu Yuxuan even more certain about his earlier thoughts. "Be careful and keep an eye on the surroundings. I'll have Old Fourth return soon."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Chu Yuxuan called Li Bin.

"Everything normal at the bar tonight?"

"Normal!" Li Bin shouted over the noise of the bar. "Everything's normal!"

"Be on the lookout. If you spot anything suspicious, don't make a scene. Follow them discreetly."

"Got it! I was just about to message you. We've got an operation targeting a smuggler at one AM. Expect some news soon!"

"Okay, stay safe." Chu Yuxuan hung up and took a deep breath before heading upstairs.

Meanwhile, Old Fourth was chasing the person who had been following him through the streets and alleys. The person was agile, scaling walls and leaping across rooftops. As Old Fourth closed in, the individual entered an old building, trying to escape.

Soon, they were both on the rooftop, one desperately running and the other calmly pursuing. If Old Fourth had his gun, it wouldn't have been so difficult.

When they reached the edge of the rooftop, the person jumped to another building's rooftop, rolled on the ground, and continued running.

Old Fourth, undeterred, jumped across the gap between the rooftops, rolling and drawing his curved blade as he did. He aimed for the person's back, but the target ducked, and the blade sliced across his left ear.

"Ah!"

With a scream, the person rushed into the stairwell, slammed the iron door shut, and locked it from the inside before fleeing downstairs.

Old Fourth picked up the blade, glanced at the severed ear on the ground with a blank expression, and kicked the iron door open to continue the chase.

However, when he reached the bottom, the person had already jumped into the back of a black BMW. The driver fired two shots at him.

Old Fourth quickly took cover, and at the same time, the BMW's engine roared to life and sped away.

Watching the BMW disappear into the distance, Old Fourth felt a bit helpless. He sheathed the blade and reported the situation to Chu Yuxuan.

"Big Brother, someone helped him escape. It seems they were just monitoring me and had no intention of engaging."

Chu Yuxuan pondered for a moment and said, "Return to the Emerald Lakeside for now. I'm concerned about Old Fifth being alone."

"Okay." Old Fourth hung up and rushed to the clinic's underground parking garage to get his Hummer.

As he passed the Korean restaurant, Zhou Ruoh had already left, likely gone home.

Old Fourth realized he might have been a bit abrupt earlier, but he didn't intend to call Zhou Ruoh to explain.

However, when he reached the underground parking garage, he searched all his pockets but couldn't find his car keys. After a moment, he remembered that during the treatment, he had taken the keys out and left them on the table due to discomfort.

Helpless, he had to take the elevator back upstairs and visit Zhou Ruoh's place again.

When he arrived at the door, he was about to knock but noticed the door was slightly ajar. He knocked a few times, but no one answered. "Dr. Zhou?... Dr. Zhou?... I'm coming in."

Old Fourth, somewhat impatient, assumed that the quirky girl was playing a prank and might be hiding behind the door to scare him. He pushed the door open and walked in confidently.

However, the room was eerily quiet, and there was no sign of Zhou Ruoh.

Old Fourth suddenly had a bad premonition. He had seen Zhou Ruoh with him earlier, so where was she now?

"Dr. Zhou! Stop playing around and come out. I need to talk to you."

Still, no response.

Old Fourth grew increasingly uneasy and called Zhou Ruoh's phone. Soon, he heard the ringtone coming from the bedroom.

He sighed with relief and stared at the bedroom door, waiting for Zhou Ruoh to come out.

But after a long wait, she still didn't appear.

Old Fourth blinked and stepped forward, pushing the door open.

The bedroom was a mess—clothes and stuffed toys scattered everywhere, the bed disheveled, and the phone lying on the bed. It looked as if a thief had ransacked the place.

Zhou Ruoh was nowhere to be seen.

Old Fourth's heart tightened immediately!