Chapter 173: The atmosphere carried a hint of ambiguity.

The man’s jacket was draped over her, which naturally meant he was wearing nothing underneath.

In the cramped space, the air grew somewhat ambiguous. Shen Chutang instinctively buried her face deeper into the jacket in front of her chest.

Noticing the tips of the person’s ears turning slightly red before him, Lu Beiqin picked up the shirt nearby and put it on. In the confined space, the sound of fabric rubbing against skin was exceptionally distinct.

Lu Beiqin buttoned it up one by one and asked, "Does it still hurt?"

Shen Chutang’s gaze shifted from the man's abdominal muscles to his slender hands. Hearing that question out of nowhere, she immediately replied, "N-no, it doesn't hurt anymore. My medicated plaster is very effective."

Lu Beiqin stroked her head. "You were scared just now, weren't you? It's fine now."

Shen Chutang shook her head gently and continued to bury her face in the clothes.

"You just had the plaster applied to your back. Don't put your clothes on yet; wait a moment before going out."

Shen Chutang nodded. "Okay."

Naturally, there were no stools in the fitting room. After standing for a while, Shen Chutang shifted her weight to continue standing. The next second, the man scooped her up, holding her like a child and resting her in the crook of his arm.

Shen Chutang let out a small gasp of surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Letting you sit for a bit."

Lu Beiqin looked at her. "Did you hear any sounds just now, or was someone right next to you at the time?"

Her attention diverted, Shen Chutang thought carefully. "Aside from you, everyone else sitting near me was neither too close nor too far. But before the lights went out, they were all two meters away from me. If someone had approached me quickly, I should have heard some movement."

Her clothes had caught fire almost the very second the lights went out, so those people shouldn't be considered suspects.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, Shen Chutang grabbed the fabric on the man's shoulder. "I remember now! I heard a 'click' at the time. Thinking back on it now, it might have been the sound of a lighter!"

This was clearly someone committing arson on purpose!

If Lu Beiqin hadn't reacted with lightning speed, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Having said that, Shen Chutang couldn't help saying, "Why don't you put me down? I'm heavy, and your arms won't be able to take it."

Lu Beiqin stated firmly, "I will."

"But..."

Perhaps sensing Shen Chutang's embarrassment, Lu Beiqin initiated a conversation himself. "I previously took part in devil training. Back then, I used to run five or ten kilometers every day carrying a one-hundred-kilogram load, and I regularly tied heavy sandbags to my arms and legs. So, your weight is nothing to me."

Curious, Shen Chutang asked, "Were you in the military?"

"Mmm."

Lu Beiqin didn't know how to explain that the old master had sent him to a special training camp back then, where he spent an entire year with a group of bloodthirsty mercenaries. Later on, because he had to manage the company, he could only attend a month of devil training every year, a routine that continued to this day.

The old master had said that as a member of the Lu family, the burden on his shoulders was heavier than anyone else's.

Countless people were eyeing the Lu family's position with hostility. Now that Lu Beiqin was the head of the Lu family, there were plenty of foes lurking both in the open and in the shadows.

The fates of Lu Beiqin's parents and Lu Yuebai were the best proof of this, which was why the old master held Lu Beiqin in such exceptional regard and sought to protect him so fiercely. He rarely made Lu Beiqin's information public to the outside world, and not a single photograph of Lu Beiqin could be found across any major website.

Sending him to the special training camp was also meant to enhance his physical endurance so that he could protect himself.

Shen Chutang smiled and said, "My senior martial brother is a mercenary, and he's amazing. I'll introduce you two sometime."

"Alright."

As they were talking, Ye Pianpian and Zhao Xiangyu returned.

"Tangtang, are you okay? Should we call an ambulance?"

Shen Chutang quickly said, "No need, I'm fine."

She glanced at her back; the plaster should be mostly dry by now. She patted Lu Beiqin's shoulder, signaling him to put her down.

She changed back into her own clothes and pushed the door open to step outside. Ye Pianpian cast a peculiar look, scrutinizing the two of them.

So much time had passed since just now, and the two of them had stayed together the whole time?

However, seeing that Shen Chutang had almost been severely burned, Ye Pianpian didn't let her mind wander elsewhere. She looked with concern at the exposed skin on Shen Chutang's neck, and noticing that the red marks had faded, she finally felt a bit more at ease.

"As expected of our Tangtang, you're the best."

Lu Beiqin asked, "Did you find anything out?"

Mentioning this, Ye Pianpian's expression instantly fell. "I checked the surveillance footage, but I didn't spot anyone suspicious entering. Now we suspect someone might have entered a blind spot of the cameras."

Zhao Xiangyu couldn't help saying, "Could it be someone among us..."

Ye Pianpian shook her head. "I've collaborated with all these people before, and I trust their character. Besides, what reason would they have to retaliate against Tangtang? There's simply no motive."

Shen Chutang reassured her, "There are so many cameras here; it's impossible for her to avoid every single one of them."

With a woebegone face, Ye Pianpian said, "You know how it is—Dong Tong, the person in charge here, is my sworn enemy. Earlier, she wouldn't even let me look at the footage, and it was only after I threatened her that she let me see just this one entry camera. She refused to let me see any of the others."

"It's fine, I'll investigate secretly after we get back."