Chapter 114: Am I Being Followed?
[Hot Noodles: This time, your perfect plan has fallen apart. Han Xue didn’t just escape—she left a bloody trail behind. And it seems she has help from someone powerful. Wang Qiang and his team still haven’t caught her.]
Fang Xiaocao froze for a moment upon reading the message, then frowned deeply.
There was a lot to unpack in what Hot Noodles had just said.
Her sharp instincts quickly picked out a few key points:
First, Han Xue wasn’t just after her. This time, she was on a path of indiscriminate revenge.
That was very bad news.
Second, Han Xue had an accomplice. And not just any accomplice, but someone skilled enough to keep even Wang Qiang’s elite criminal investigation team from capturing her.
“Ugh… my head hurts,” Fang Xiaocao muttered to herself.
[Hot Noodles: You’re surrounded by powerful enemies and danger is everywhere. You better not be thinking of doing anything reckless.]
The warning from Hot Noodles didn’t surprise her.
They understood each other too well.
Just like Hot Noodles, Fang Xiaocao looked like a harmless, well-behaved girl on the surface—but deep down, they both had a wild side.
A natural thirst for adventure.
And right now, Hot Noodles could already predict that Fang Xiaocao was brewing up a reckless idea.
Fang Xiaocao let out a small, bitter laugh. “I really can’t hide anything from you.”
[Hot Noodles: We are one and the same. How could there be any secrets between us?]
[Hot Noodles: Drop whatever dangerous thoughts you’re having. Stay cautious. Staying alive is the only way to keep winning.]
Fang Xiaocao nodded.
She knew Hot Noodles was right.
Now wasn’t the time to act impulsively.
But…
Hiding in the shadows and doing nothing?
That wasn’t her style.
Instead of sitting back and waiting to be hunted, she would craft the perfect trap and take out these bloodthirsty dogs one by one.
“Han Xue has a bounty on her head by now, right?” she asked.
[Hot Noodles: Not worth much yet. Shen Tao put a 100,000-yuan bounty on her on the domestic black market.]
[Hot Noodles: Once the psychiatric hospital officially reports her escape and she commits her first crime, the Red List will add another 100,000.]
[Hot Noodles: So, at most, she’s worth 200,000 right now. And even if she disappears for a while, the price increase won’t be significant. Risking your life for that? Not worth it.]
Hot Noodles knew exactly what she was thinking.
So they poured a bucket of cold water over her plans before she could even act on them.
You’re worth millions now. Are you really gonna throw yourself into danger for a measly 200,000?
“Heh…” Fang Xiaocao chuckled under her breath.
“200,000 is still money…” she muttered.
But she sent a reply anyway.
“I got it. Keep me updated if anything changes.”
“I need to lay low for now.”
“I don’t want Han Xue to catch my scent.”
She tucked her phone away, finished the last bite of her noodles, scanned the QR code to pay, and stepped out of the small eatery.
Standing at the entrance, she subtly scanned her surroundings.
Only after confirming there were no suspicious people around did she head for her rented SUV, start the engine, and drive off to the Airbnb she had booked.
Her hotel was no longer an option—not until Tom came looking for her.
If she returned now, she’d have no choice but to call the police.
After all, Tom had driven off in her rented Wuling Hongguang minivan… with three dead assassins in the back.
And in the hotel’s underground parking garage, the spot where her minivan had been parked was still stained with a massive pool of blood.
She had been out for a while now.
Who knew if someone had already found the blood and reported it?
If the police got involved, all they had to do was check the hotel’s surveillance footage.
They’d immediately see that she had left the hotel right after the Wuling Hongguang.
If she didn’t return, she could still play dumb—say she had driven off in a hurry to catch a thief and simply forgot to report it.
But if she went back?
She wouldn’t be able to feign ignorance anymore.
At that point, she’d have to call the cops.
And that meant dragging Tom into this mess.
She couldn’t risk him getting caught.
So, for now, hiding was the only option.
Otherwise, the hotel would be the best place to gather information.
_____
Thirty minutes later—
To avoid being followed, Fang Xiaocao deliberately took several detours before finally driving to her Airbnb.
The rental was in a luxury residential complex.
Instead of renting a single room, she had secured an entire apartment.
After parking in the designated spot, she stepped out of the SUV and made her way toward the building entrance.
But instead of taking the elevator, she randomly pressed a few floor buttons, then swiftly slipped into the stairwell.
She had a gut feeling.
She was being followed.
Right now, she was a prime target.
Too many predators were lurking in the dark, waiting for her to let her guard down.
Just one careless mistake, and they’d pounce—leaving nothing behind.
Holding her breath, she pressed herself against the stairwell door, gripping a throwing knife tightly in her hand.
During her drive, she had noticed the same car appearing in her field of vision multiple times.
That was no coincidence.
She had deliberately taken completely different routes each time.
No one should have had that much of a “coincidental” overlap with her path.
Tch.
Someone is tailing me.
Just then—
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed from outside.
Someone’s coming!
Fang Xiaocao’s heart pounded as she peered through the door crack, eyes locked on the elevator.
She needed to see who was following her.
Seconds later, a plump middle-aged woman stepped into view, carrying a basket of vegetables.
Fang Xiaocao blinked.
Then exhaled in relief.
“Was I just being paranoid?” she mumbled.
The woman looked like nothing more than an ordinary housewife returning from grocery shopping.
Hardly the type to be tailing someone.
She walked up to the elevator and pressed a button.
Fang Xiaocao squinted—she had selected the sixth floor.
Seeing this, she finally let her guard down.
But just as the elevator doors were about to close—
“Young man, aren’t you coming up?”
The woman suddenly reached out and held the doors open, calling out.
Fang Xiaocao’s breath hitched.
There was someone else outside!
But she had only heard one set of footsteps!
How could there be another person?
This kind of flooring—no matter what shoes you wore—it would make noise when stepped on.
Yet this person had moved completely silently.
A chill ran down Fang Xiaocao’s spine.
A master…!
“Ah, thank you, Auntie.”
A voice rang out.
It was neutral in tone—neither fully male nor female.
And it sent a shiver down her spine.
(End of Chapter 114)
