Chapter 550: Guest

As the black thunderclouds gradually receded, the torrential rain lessened, and faint rays of light pierced through the clouds, illuminating the street.

Chen Ling, holding an umbrella in one hand and a bag of sunflower seeds, bought from who-knows-where, in the other, leisurely approached the entrance of Jinghong Tower.

Seeing the two disheveled figures, soaked like eggplants in the rain, Chen Ling's lips curved into a faint smile:

"Oh, you two are still here?"

At that moment, the two men, seeing the sky above them finally clear, had tears streaming down their cold, numb faces, as excited as if they had escaped death.

Hearing Chen Ling's voice, both men flinched, vigorously wiped their tears, and spoke stubbornly and fiercely:

"You thought a little rain could drive us away? Heh heh... Dream on!"

"Let me tell you, you've really messed up by crossing us two. You'd better go quickly and beg Brother Hong on your knees, otherwise, we'll make sure you regret it!"

Seeing the heavy rain dissipate, their previously dead hearts slowly rekindled. Their words regained their familiar arrogance as they menacingly swung their baseball bats at Chen Ling.

"Oh really? Well, good luck with that."

Chen Ling waved his hand and walked straight back into the theater.

The bored Kong Baosheng immediately stood up upon seeing this and, noticing the bag of sunflower seeds in Chen Ling's hand, asked curiously:

"Mr. Lin, if you wanted sunflower seeds, you could have just told me to buy them... Why go out yourself in such heavy rain?"

"I wasn't sure what flavors they had, and I was bored, so I decided to take a stroll."

Chen Ling had actually bought the sunflower seeds to deceive the two men at the entrance. After all, they were Li Ruohong's subordinates. If he had gone out in the heavy rain and returned empty-handed, especially right after the dance hall had encountered trouble... While Chen Ling didn't think these two fools were that intelligent, it was always better to be cautious.

Chen Ling settled comfortably into the rocking chair, casually tearing open the bag of sunflower seeds. Through the lingering curtain of rain outside the door, he gazed at the dance hall in the distance.

Today's performance should be enough to bring the dance hall to the attention of the police. However, Chen Ling wasn't sure how deeply the police and the Floating Life Painting organization currently suspected the casino. If their suspicions were still superficial and they hadn't gathered any substantial evidence, then the results of today's performance should soon become apparent...

"Let the bullet fly a little longer."

Chen Ling cracked open a sunflower seed, casually discarded the shell on the table, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

The next day.

The Casino.

Jian Changsheng slowly sat up from his bed and walked to the bathroom mirror. Seeing his bloodshot eyes and haggard appearance, he let out a helpless sigh.

Ever since the casino came under surveillance, he hadn't had a single good night's sleep. Every evening, he was on high alert for a sudden attack from Floating Life Painting, even fighting in his dreams. A day or two was manageable, but prolonged exposure to this constant stress made him increasingly exhausted and sensitive.

This casino was an asset Chen Ling had specifically left for him, serving as a perfect base for the Twilight Society. Furthermore, many Twilight Society members were currently hiding there. Jian Changsheng didn't want the place he had worked so hard to establish over the past six months to be ruined.

Jian Changsheng splashed cold water on his face. Once he felt refreshed, he pushed open the door and entered the living room.

In the living room, two people were already awake: the bored Heart 9, and Coffin Maker Diamond 10, whom he had met once during the fall of Aurora City.

Compared to the harried Jian Changsheng, Heart 9 was much more relaxed. In his words, if they were exposed, then they were exposed; at worst, everyone would fight together, and escaping would depend on individual skill. For seasoned Twilight Society members, such so-called crises were nothing new, and they didn't take them to heart.

"How is Senior Bai Ye doing?" Jian Changsheng tilted his head back, drank the cold water on the table, and then asked with a frown.

"Still the same... He won't die, but he won't wake up either."

"So many days, and still no sign of waking..." Jian Changsheng paused for a moment. "Perhaps we should find a doctor to examine him."

"At this point, where would we find a doctor? Besides, there are so many people watching outside. As soon as a doctor comes, they'll probably immediately link it to Bai Ye, whom we abducted earlier... It would be no different from exposing ourselves."

Hearing this, Jian Changsheng sighed deeply and paced around the room. "That logic certainly holds true..."

"Don't worry, Bai Ye isn't so easily killed. Just leave him be."

Jian Changsheng walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and frowned as he peered down at the comings and goings outside the casino entrance... After an unknown amount of time, a deep sense of confusion and bewilderment appeared in his eyes.

"Strange..."

"What's wrong?"

"Why do I feel like there are far fewer people watching today?"

The other Twilight Society members also froze, then got up to peer out the window at the situation below, their faces showing similar confusion.

"Indeed, half of the usual surveillance points are empty."

"Speaking of which, there are also fewer customers in the casino today who are just watching and not playing. Perhaps some plainclothes officers didn't show up?"

"Could it be that they no longer suspect us? That doesn't seem right..."

"Where did all these plainclothes officers go??"

Grand World Dance Hall.

"Hmm, quite a lot of guests today, aren't there?"

Li Ruohong stood in his private box on the second floor, looking down at the mostly filled seats below, his eyes full of surprise.

After yesterday's incident, Li Ruohong had expected the dance hall's reputation to suffer, leading to a sharp decline in customer traffic today. He had even prepared various events, discounts, and invitations for famous singers to boost the dance hall's popularity... But to his surprise, many guests still came in as soon as it opened today.

Furthermore, no police officers had come to inquire, let alone search for any bodies... It seemed yesterday's incident hadn't caused as big a stir as he had imagined.

Thinking this, Li Ruohong felt significantly more relaxed. Apart from a few waiters and one of his personal bodyguards leaving last night, everything was as usual. However, these waiters and bodyguards were unimportant; as long as he was willing to spend money, he could get as many as he wanted.

In high spirits, Li Ruohong immediately called over the manager, waved his hand, and said:

"Tell the customers downstairs that all consumption today will be eight... no, seven percent off!"

The manager paused, and though he didn't understand Li Ruohong's reasoning, he nodded without daring to say more.

Just as he was about to leave, as if remembering something, he turned back and pulled an invitation from his pocket: "Brother Hong, the invitation for the Big Dipper Conglomerate's birthday banquet has arrived. It's the day after tomorrow, would you like to take a look..."

"Me look? Look at what? It's my uncle's birthday; of course I have to go!"

Li Ruohong put away the invitation, glanced at the 001 private box across the way, and with a sudden thought, spoke again, "Also, get me two sets of bodyguard suit uniforms these next two days, and arrange for a better car."

"Bodyguard uniforms? Have you already found new bodyguards?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't."

"...Understood."