Chapter 105: Liu Rusi Assassinated

He Yuzhu wrapped his cotton-padded jacket tight as he walked out of the Siheyuan gate, and he saw a gleaming black sedan parked at the street corner.

He walked up quickly, and just as his hand touched the front passenger door handle, he heard Liu Rusi's cold voice: "Sit in the back!"

He Yuzhu dared not delay; he walked around to the back seat and pulled the door open. A wave of heat mixed with perfume and the heater rushed toward his face, and he quickly shrank his neck and sat inside.

Liu Rusi leaned back against the seat; that dark green velvet cheongsam accentuated her figure well, and a fox-fur coat was draped casually over her legs.

"Sister, what day is it today that you've come to pick me up yourself?" He Yuzhu rubbed his hands and smiled, breaking the silence.

Pingping, who was driving in the front, glanced back at him, her tone carrying a hint of teasing: "Don't get ahead of yourself; it's the Miss's birthday today."

"Sister, you didn't say it was your birthday earlier, so I could have prepared a decent birthday gift in advance!" He Yuzhu said with a tone of complaint.

Liu Rusi chuckled: "Don't give me that lip. I don't usually celebrate it. It's only because I met Zhao Ying, who returned from studying abroad; she takes birthdays seriously and urges me to host a party every time. I actually don't have much mood to celebrate."

He Yuzhu looked at the fleeting loneliness in her eyes and tentatively leaned forward: "Sister, is your mother still alive? I've never heard you mention her."

Hearing this, Liu Rusi shook her head slowly, her expression darkening in an instant.

Seeing that she did not wish to discuss it further, He Yuzhu tactfully shut his mouth—it seemed that the document from Shen Shichang could not be brought out just yet.

Pingping spoke up again at this moment: "He Yuzhu, I heard you can make those Western-style birthday cakes; make one for the Miss today."

"No problem at all!" He Yuzhu immediately agreed, sitting up a bit straighter. "I'll go back to the shop to get busy in a moment, but I'll need to go out and buy some raw materials. Does Sister want to make the cake with me?"

Liu Rusi shook her head, "I need to go to my father's place first; I'll arrive at your shop after 11 o'clock."

"Sister, no problem! Are you all eating at He Ji at noon? Then I'll prepare everything together; you'd better give me a menu and tell me how many people there are."

Liu Rusi took a note out of her handbag, "It's all on there."

He Yuzhu unfolded it and took a look, his eyebrows arching slightly—there were actually thirty people.

He pondered for a moment and suggested: "Would you like me to make some Western food? Like pizza, fish and chips, or fried chicken legs; the foreign guests should like those."

"You decide what to make." Liu Rusi leaned back against the seat, her tone indifferent. "There are a few who have studied abroad, but they aren't any important guests."

When the car reached the entrance of He Ji, He Yuzhu said goodbye to Liu Rusi and ran toward the foreign trading firms in Qianmen.

He purchased butter, cream, frosting, and other raw materials for making the cake; then he hurried back to the shop, clattering and banging on wooden boards in the back kitchen as he made the cake molds himself.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and a layer of white frost condensed on the kitchen window, yet sweat seeped from He Yuzhu's forehead; as soon as he got busy, it was already time for lunch.

By the time he finished spreading the last bit of cream, a three-tiered large birthday cake was finally placed on the counter.

Each layer of the cake was covered in snow-white cream, with exquisite intertwined flower patterns squeezed out of pink cream on top. The top layer was even more clever—he had carved round strawberries out of white radishes, dipped them in red pigment and frosting, and they looked exactly like the real thing; he had even carefully arranged them into a heart shape, with "Happy Birthday" written in the middle. Under the warm yellow light, it looked exceptionally exquisite.

At noon, Liu Rusi brought her good friend Zhao Ying inside.

Zhao Ying's hair was permed into the most popular large waves of the day, fixed meticulously with hairspray. She looked like a doll.

As soon as Zhao Ying entered, she smiled at He Yuzhu: "Zhuzi, I heard you got a batch of antique paintings; can you sell me two? My father needs them for gifts."

He Yuzhu showed a troubled expression on his face and scratched his head: "Actually, there are only two left; I originally wanted to keep them for my own collection. If you really need them, I'll sell them to you cheaply."

Liu Rusi curled her lips to the side, her eyes carrying a hint of mockery: "You brat, there isn't a word of truth in you; if you ask me, you must still have quite a few in your hands."

"Sister, you're wronging me!" He Yuzhu looked aggrieved and spread his hands, "I'm not a boss of an art and calligraphy shop; how could I have so many antique paintings!"

At this moment, the waiter brought the cake over.

When Liu Rusi saw the cake, her eyes brightened slightly, clearly somewhat surprised; Zhao Ying even leaned forward, staring at the "strawberries" on the top layer and exclaimed: "Where did you get strawberries? How could there be strawberries for sale in this weather? This is too incredible!"

Pingping curled her lips to the side: "I think they are fake strawberries."

"Pingping is right; they are strawberries I carved from radishes," He Yuzhu explained with a smile.

"I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but in the years I studied in the United States, I never saw such a beautiful cake." Zhao Ying pulled Liu Rusi's arm, her tone filled with envy, "When it's my birthday, you have to make one for me too."

"No problem at all!" He Yuzhu readily agreed.

Afterward, he took out two cases of Bordeaux wine; the labels on the bottles were somewhat worn, but one could still tell that these wines had some age to them.

Zhao Ying leaned over to look, her eyes lighting up; she winked at Liu Rusi and lowered her voice: "This little brother of yours is not simple; this bottle of wine is worth a lot of money; my father usually can't bear to drink it."

Liu Rusi smiled, her eyes carrying a hint of helplessness: "This brat has always been elusive; you never know when he'll give you a surprise, though sometimes it might be a shock."

"My family relies on you for protection, Sister; it's only right that I do my best!" He Yuzhu quickly pledged his loyalty, then remembered yesterday's incident and added, "Yesterday, my father went out and ran into some thugs; he beat them up. If those people come looking for trouble later, I'll have to rely on you to smooth things over, Sister."

Liu Rusi nodded, her expression sinking: "Tell your family to be careful lately; the situation is chaotic now, and the streets aren't peaceful."

While they were talking, the guests arrived one after another, and the restaurant suddenly became lively; the sound of cups and plates clashing and laughter drowned out the sound of the wind and snow outside.

Just then, Chen Wenjun suddenly ran in from the back door, her face pale; she grabbed He Yuzhu's arm, dragged him to the corner of the wall outside the shop, and lowered her voice anxiously: "I usually give some leftovers to the peddlers at the entrance. Just now, the old man who sells candied Gourd told me secretly that there are three or four suspicious people around our shop, wrapped in black cotton-padded jackets, always staring at the shop; they don't look like proper guests."

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly became nervous—who were these people coming for? Could it be that the thugs he killed in Nancheng before had had their accomplices come looking for him?

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the banquet dispersed.

Liu Rusi pulled He Yuzhu's arm: "Come back with me; I have something to tell you."

When the car reached the intersection, a sudden change occurred!

Two military trucks suddenly came charging from the intersections on the left and right.

Pingping accelerated violently, and the sedan drifted somewhat on the snow.

"Miss, be careful! There are assassins!" Pingping screamed.

He Yuzhu reacted extremely quickly; he pressed Liu Rusi's head down onto the seat.

Almost at the same time, his Box Cannon was already in his hand.

The first gunshot pierced the afternoon sky.

A few small birds flew up from the utility pole with a "whoosh" and flew toward the sky.

The driver of one truck was shot in the head, and blood splattered onto the windshield.

The out-of-control truck swerved forward, and the gunmen in the truck bed fired wildly; bullets clattered against the body of the sedan.

Pingping slammed the steering wheel, and the sedan fishtailed and drifted back and forth on the snow-covered road, the tires kicking up a mist of snow.

He Yuzhu's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

He stared fixedly at the second vehicle; as Pingping's sedan fishtailed and was about to turn sideways, he fired another shot.

The bullet pierced the glass and accurately hit the driver between the eyebrows.

Fresh blood splattered onto the windshield, like a blooming red plum blossom.

The out-of-control truck slammed into a roadside stall; for a moment, wood splinters flew everywhere and goods were scattered about.

From the two vehicles, six gunmen holding Submachine Guns jumped out, chasing the sedan while firing continuously.

"Pingping, accelerate!" He Yuzhu roared.

The sedan lurched forward, but several bullets had already pierced the rear window, grazing He Yuzhu's scalp and shattering the front windshield.

Pingping's car simply could not pick up speed.

"Brake!" He Yuzhu shouted suddenly.

"Screech—"

Even after hitting the brakes, the sedan continued to sway and surge forward due to inertia.

Before it had even come to a complete stop, He Yuzhu had already lunged out of the car window.

He performed a forward roll on the snowy ground and quickly rose to his feet.

Holding a Box Cannon in each hand, he charged forward into the hail of bullets.

Fifty meters, forty meters...

The gunmen clearly had not expected anyone to dare counter-charge; they were still standing in place, panting loudly.

He Yuzhu seized the opportunity to fire continuously, his bullets hitting their targets with precision.

Flowers of blood instantly bloomed on the snowy ground as the six gunmen fell to the ground one after another.

He Yuzhu returned to the car, breathing heavily, and Liu Rusi asked with a pale face: "Are... are they all taken care of?"

He Yuzhu nodded, the white mist of his breath dissipating in the cold wind, "Sister, who exactly are these people? Why are they trying to assassinate you?"