BXBX NOVEL Chapter 160 - 160: The Highest-End Hunters Often Appear in the Form of Prey
Bo Chang extended the invitation.
“This…” Qin Fu hesitated.
“After all, you two being young ladies, it would be dangerous if you encountered thieves again,” Bo Chang showed consideration. “Since we’ve met, it’s better to see things through as a good samaritan.”
“Alright, thank you, Master Bo,” Qin Fu, still shaken from the earlier incident, gratefully accepted.
Beside them, Bo Chang’s steward, Bo Kai, looked at the compliant Qin Fu and Gu Rong, shaking his head slightly. He was well aware of what Bo Chang was planning.
Today was the seventh day of the month, the day Bo Chang regularly visited brothels.
Bo Chang himself hadn’t expected to encounter a situation on the street where thieves were attempting to harm someone.
Judging by their figures, both women were quite attractive.
For Bo Chang, decent women were certainly more alluring than brothel courtesans.
Being their savior, with power and influence, and not bad-looking either…
With just a little manipulation, he was certain that it wouldn’t take long to win them over.
The thought of them being from the county office, and potentially female yamen runners, set Bo Chang’s heart ablaze.
In the distance.
“Did it work?” Cheng Lingzhu removed her mask.
“It seems to have had some initial effect,” Lu Xuan observed Bo Chang and the others.
The “thief” who attacked Qin Fu and Gu Rong was, of course, Cheng Lingzhu in disguise.
The planner of this scheme was Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan had learned from Lu Ping that Bo Chang, a notorious playboy, regularly visited brothels on specific days each month.
Brothels were closed at night, and customers would enter before the curfew.
Then, with the doors closed, the clients would party all night long.
So Lu Xuan had sent Qin and Gu to buy rouge at this specific time.
Just as Lu Xuan had predicted, when they arrived at the last rouge shop, Bo Chang appeared in a nearby street.
Thus, Cheng Lingzhu, playing the role of the villain, created this “chance encounter.”
That Night at the Bo Residence.
“Bo Kai, go to Lengyu Pavilion tomorrow and buy a set of hair ornaments. Have them wrapped in a gift box,” Bo Chang instructed.
“…Is this for the lady we met tonight?” Bo Kai quickly deduced.
“Correct,” Bo Chang nodded.
“Master, aren’t the hair ornaments from Lengyu Pavilion a bit too expensive?” Bo Kai questioned.
In his memory, the last time Bo Chang sent him to Lengyu Pavilion was to impress a courtesan.
“When have I ever been short of money?” Bo Chang glanced at him. “I told you to buy it, so just go.”
“Yes,” Bo Kai immediately shut up.
Bo Chang wouldn’t be angry; he knew Bo Kai was loyal and his suggestion was to save money for the Bo family.
“Do you know why I want to win Qin Fu over?” Bo Chang asked.
“Is it because she’s attractive?” Bo Kai guessed.
“No,” Bo Chang shook his head. “Among the women I’ve pursued, Qin Fu is indeed good-looking, but she hasn’t captivated me that much.”
From the first moment he saw Qin Fu, he felt a desire to possess her.
But to give such an expensive gift so soon after meeting, Bo Kai had deeper considerations.
“Is it because of her identity?” Bo Kai pondered. “A female yamen runner from the county office… does that excite you?”
“It’s not that either,” Bo Chang shook his head again.
“Then what is it?” Bo Kai was perplexed.
“Qin Fu manages the document archives of the county office. She has access to all the case files stored there,” Bo Chang narrowed his eyes. “I want to know the truth behind the assassination of my father and grandfather.”
“Master, this…” Bo Kai was startled upon hearing this.
“I’ve wanted to do this for years, but I was too young then. Even if I wanted to investigate, I couldn’t,” Bo Chang took a deep breath. “Now, it seems the time has come.”
“Then why pursue Qin Fu and not Gu Rong?” Bo Kai questioned. “Gu Rong is two years younger than Qin Fu and seems easier to influence.”
“You’re mistaken,” Bo Chang corrected. “That girl named Gu Rong is much more astute than Qin Fu. She’s not easy to fool.”
The Next Day.
As Qin Fu set out from her home to clock in at the county yamen, Bo Kai, the steward of the Bo family, appeared at her door.
“What brings you here, Steward Bo?” Gu Rong inquired.
She and Qin Fu lived together, having bought a small courtyard near the yamen with the silver given by Gu Yang.
“Miss Qin, do you remember last night at the rouge shop, our master, due to a broken hairpin, asked you for a hair clasp?” Bo Kai said.
“It should have been returned today, but thinking it inappropriate to return
something a man has used, he instructed me to purchase a set from Lengyu
Pavilion as a gift for you.”
Pavilion as a gift for you.”
He held a refined wooden box containing a complete set of hair ornaments from Lengyu Pavilion.
“Of course, the master also sent a gift for Miss Gu.”
Bo Kai produced another wooden box. “A bracelet from Cuiyu Villa. I hope you like it.”
“Accepting such valuable gifts for just a hair clasp… Isn’t that inappropriate?” Qin Fu commented.
“If you don’t accept it, I’ll be punished upon my return,” Bo Kai feigned earnestness. “This is a small token from our master. Please accept it.” “Alright then,” Qin Fu relented, taking the box.
Seeing Gu Rong hesitant, she also took the other box and handed it to her.
After the two women accepted the gifts, Bo Kai smiled: “I won’t disturb you further.”
Once Bo Kai left, Qin Fu opened the box and tried on the hair ornaments.
“Do they look good?” she asked.
“Yes, very,” Gu Rong admitted, finding them quite fitting for Qin Fu.
“Then I’ll wear them. Let’s go to the yamen,” Qin Fu said confidently.
“Qin Sister, isn’t it bad to accept gifts from Master Bo? We are sent by Gu Yang and now belong to the county magistrate, yet we accepted gifts from Master Bo…” Gu Rong looked at the box in her hand.
“What’s wrong with that?” Qin Fu countered.
“We were sent by Gu Yang, and now we’re under the county magistrate, yet we’ve accepted gifts from Master Bo…” Gu Rong was confused about where to stand.
“Dear sister, you may be smarter than me, but when it comes to understanding men, you’re not my match,” Qin Fu asserted. “I knew he had no good intentions when he invited us to the rouge shop yesterday.”
Gu Rong was taken aback and then asked, “Then why did you agree to go with him?”
“What else could I do? He saved our lives, we had to give him that much face, right?” Qin Fu reasoned. “Moreover…”
Her eyes twinkled with a plan.
“If I didn’t want any connection with him, I wouldn’t have lent him my hairpin yesterday. ”
The most cunning hunters often appear as prey. Last night, Bo Chang showed interest in her, but in fact, she was also trying to hook Bo Chang.
“Dear sister, think about it. Gu Yang and the county magistrate are at odds. What do we do if they clash? Caught in the middle, we might become casualties of their fight.”
Gu Rong fell silent, conceding to Qin Fu’s logic.
“Bo Chang’s timing was perfect. We’re already entertainers for the Gu family, singing and dancing for someone else. Now, getting close to Bo Chang is about securing our own escape route.”
Qin Fu was clear-headed.
“Sister Qin, what if Bo Chang asks for your help in secret, something that might harm Gu Yang or the yamen?” Gu Rong inquired.
“What kind of help?” Qin Fu asked back.
“Something that might be detrimental to Gu Yang or the yamen,” Gu Rong explained.
“I’ll see what his specific request is. If it’s too excessive, I certainly won’t agree,” Qin Fu replied..