Villain Boss Chapter 173
Translated by Digitalian (ko-fi)
Chapter 173: Lectured
Yi Xi’s words undoubtedly stirred up a storm in Xie Chengzhi's heart. After sending Luo Rui to the dungeon, Xie Chengzhi offered a few words of comfort and rushed back to the slum without stopping.
……
The farce ended. After Shen Lang delivered a high-sounding speech, the members of the sixth team tearfully carried Wei Yage's body away.
"Ranran." Shen Lang stopped in front of Jiang Ran before leaving, glancing at Si Xu beside her with a sneer in his eyes. "Although it's said that girls shouldn’t be kept at home when they grow up, you‘re still a daughter of the Shen family. You should go home and visit your family when you’re free."
Jiang Ran heard the sarcasm in the old man's words, but she was in a good mood today and didn’t take it to heart. "I know, Grandpa."
She bowed respectfully and said meaningfully, "Grandpa, at your age, you still have to work so late for others' affairs. It's really hard work. Grandpa, you should go back and rest early. Don't exhaust yourself."
Her words were full of sarcasm and ridicule.
The gray-haired old man in front of her was Jiang Ranran's maternal grandfather, one of the few relatives Jiang Ranran had left in this world. However, even after hearing what Jiang Yu said and knowing that his granddaughter had been framed and bullied along the way, he was still thinking about how to protect his subordinates.
He didn't offer any word of comfort or concern for Jiang Ranran.
In the end, he even came over to lecture her.
How could this be justified?
Rendered speechless by Jiang Ran's answer, the old man subconsciously raised his cane, but after seeing Si Xu's cold eyes, he forced himself to hold it back.
Reluctantly retracting his hateful gaze, the old man snorted indifferently. "Ranran, you’re on your own."
"Yes." Jiang Ran continued, "I understand your good intentions, Grandpa, don't worry."
He tapped his cane on the ground as if to vent his anger. Supported by Zheng Li, the old man walked towards the exit under the escort of the guards.
……
The crowd dispersed. The youth took off his uniform and threw it to the girl next to him. Then he ran through his messy hair with one hand and walked to Jiang Ran, glancing at Si Xu cautiously. Seeing that Si Xu looked normal, he started to speak to Jiang Ran.
"Is it over?"
"Yeah." Jiang Ran yawned while holding Si Xu's arm. "What happens next has nothing to do with you. I’ll take care of it. I've caused you trouble these days."
"This is no trouble," Qiao Yi muttered, his black eyes full of excitement. "Isn't that woman locked up in the dungeon? Why don't I find a chance to go in and..."
"Listen." It was good to be young. When one was young and frivolous, one could do whatever one wanted. One was really carefree and of course, wouldn't consider the consequences at all. "You finally got yourself out of trouble. If you fall into the trap again, won't everything I did today be in vain?"
Being lectured by Jiang Ran, Qiao Yi clicked his tongue. "I was just saying—once she’s in the dungeon, I won’t have to do anything."
After he finished speaking, he looked back at his teammates who were waiting for him. "I'm going back. Should I keep the uniform you gave me, or do you want to take it back?"
"Burn it somewhere deserted." Giving him the uniform of the base's superhuman team was merely an attempt to conceal his identity. Whether the youth who captured Jiang Yu was from the base's slum or a member of the base's superhuman team would lead to different outcomes.
Had the investigators been more alert and dug deeper into Qiao Yi's identity, it was hard to say what the outcome would have been.
Jiang Ran didn't want to expose Qiao Yi's identity or his forces unless it was absolutely necessary.
"I got it." Qiao Yi put on his hood, and leisurely strolled back to his companions while whistling. "Let's go back and rest."
"Oh, Qiao Yi, there's one more thing..." Recalling something, Jiang Ran called to the youth.
He turned, his hair tangled beneath his hood, scattering across his eyes. "What's it?"
"Have you dealt with the three people who came with Jiang Yu?"
"Don't worry."
The moment Jiang Yu entered the room, his men had already subdued the other three superhumans.
Just one witness would be enough. Too many cooks could spoil the broth. Things could easily go wrong if too many people were involved—that was what Jiang Ran said, and he did as she said.
"Don't kill them outright. See if you can get any useful information."
Qiao Yi gave an okay sign. "Got it." He waved his hand. "I’m off—I'll let you know when I have news."
"Qiao Yi." Si Xu, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke up, calling the youth.
Unlike the casualness he'd shown to Jiang Ran, the youth immediately turned and stood at attention. "Yes, sir."
"I'll have some medicine delivered tomorrow. If you have a medic in your team, have him act as the liaison."
Qiao Yi's eyes lit up at the mention of medicine. "Thank you, Professor Si!"
Although the people in the slum were mostly the elderly, weak, and infirm, if their current illnesses weren't controlled, they could spread throughout the base.
Si Xu's willingness to deliver the medicine saved them from sneaking out through the underground passage every day to find medicine.
……
After the group left in a grand procession, Jiang Ran sighed. "I didn't expect Qiao Yi to be a superhuman with dual abilities." And unlike Si Xu, Qiao Yi possessed highly aggressive lightning-type and metal-type abilities.
"I heard from Qiao Qiao that they also came from the laboratory?" Jiang Ran was curious. "Si Xu, why did you let such talented people go and start their own team?"
Since it was about Lin You, Si Xu could only tell her some unimportant information. "They were originally members of the first team, but later left because they couldn't stand the management system of the superhuman team."
"Is that so?" Jiang Ran said, finding it a pity. "If Qiao Yi and the others were still in the superhuman team, it would’ve saved you a lot of trouble."
"That's not necessarily true—you've seen his temper. He's too wild and not suitable for the superhuman team."
"That's true." Jiang Ran muttered a few words, and after a final inspection of the scene to make sure there was no evidence left, she hooked her arm through Si Xu's and left.
……
On the way back to their residence, the girl who had blocked Jiang Yu at the door of the wooden house slowly peeled off the cheap human skin mask on her face, revealing her true face.
"Zhou Jian." Yi Xi walked over to her and warned her, "Don't throw this thing away. Take it back and burn it with Qiao Yi's uniform."
"I know." She sighed, looking downcast. Then she crumpled the human skin mask into a ball and held it in her hand.
Knowing what she was thinking, Yi Xi patted her shoulder gently as if to comfort her. "That guy was obsessed. We were just going along with everything that happened tonight. Don't blame yourself."
"..." After all, that was the man she once loved. Zhou Jian's face wrinkled. "Yi Xi, how could I have been so blind back then? I didn't see through Luo Rui. I thought she was genuinely kind to me. And I actually liked someone like Jiang Yu..."
She muttered and Qiao Yi walking on her left laughed and mocked her mercilessly, "Well, as you said, you were blind!"
Hearing this, Zhou Jian felt even more dejected. Yes, she was blind. She was a fool. Being led by the nose by Luo Rui, she would attack anyone who was Luo Rui's enemy without hesitation. She used to look down on Yi Xi and Jiang Ranran, but now it was proven that she was the dumbest...
After slapping Qiao Yi for interrupting, Yi Xi continued to comfort Zhou Jian, "Everyone has their blind spots. I used to think Xie Chengzhi was smart. Didn’t I have to eat my words today?"
Jiang Yu had ripped Luo Rui's mask to shreds, but Xie Chengzhi still refused to see the folly of his ways—he was simply hopelessly foolish.
"Speaking of this..." Qiao Yi was curious. "Yi Xi, what did you say to him when you stopped him?" He muttered softly, "Was it a love confession?"
"Do you have a death wish?" Yi Xi glanced at him expressionlessly, and he immediately raised his hands in surrender. "I was wrong, I was wrong."
Yi Xi snorted and ignored him.
What did she say? At that time, she didn't want to show up in front of those two people, but Jiang Ranran asked her to say those words. She couldn't refuse, so she had to do it.
"Maybe..." Recalling the change in Xie Chengzhi's expression after hearing those words, Yi Xi murmured, "I was seeking redress for a dead soul."
