Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 432: Chapter 412: The Masked Man

Luo Qianqian chatted with her brother for a while longer before hanging up, her face full of confusion. Didn’t that person say she was being sent there because there was something she needed to do? But now, this was making her suspicious.

After a long moment of being lost in her thoughts, Luo Qianqian dug out the note from before and called the number of the rumored castle’s butler. The call was quickly answered. Luo Qianqian, after listening to the unintelligible language on the line, greeted in English. A moment later, a middle-aged man’s voice came through, ”Hello?”

Relieved to hear the familiar voice, Luo Qianqian got straight to the point and asked, ”Can I have your former master’s phone number? I need to contact him about something.”

There was a long silence on the other end, and then he said he would call her back later before asking her to hang up.

Luo Qianqian waited for a while, and when she saw an incoming call on her phone, the number was scrambled. She hesitated for a moment before answering.

”Hello, this is Luo Qianqian.”

”I know, what do you want?” The voice on the other end was deep but didn’t sound disguised.

Luo Qianqian hesitated for a moment before saying, ”Are you the one who took away my brother?”

Although she felt it shouldn’t be the same person, Luo Qianqian still asked.

To her surprise, the person on the other end hummed in affirmation, and she was completely dumbfounded, ”Was it you who said I should go to school?”

”Yes,” the voice on the other end came calmly and decisively, with no hesitation.

”Why?” Luo Qianqian was very puzzled.

”You are too slow. By the time you meet my requirements, I am afraid I’ll be dead of old age.” There was a touch of amusement in the voice on the other end, but Luo Qianqian failed to detect it.

Luo Qianqian was speechless. Was she really that slow? But then again, considering her time with Hu Si, if it wasn’t for some fluke where she crazily completed the tasks due to a mix-up, she probably wouldn’t have finished a single one, right?

”Then, may I ask, why did you send me the castle?” Luo Qianqian paused before asking.

”Heard from Luo Shufan that it was your birthday, just picked out a gift randomly, and since nobody was living there, I just gave it away,” a low chuckle came from the other end.

Luo Qianqian felt a chill down her spine—could the person who kidnapped her brother be something like a vampire?

”Ha ha, thank you so much... How do I contact you if I need anything in the future?” Luo Qianqian boldly asked for a way to keep in touch. Using the phone number to find the person and then her brother’s location would be much easier than simply trying to obtain information from her brother through conversation.

”Email would be better. I’ll send you the email address in a moment,” the person on the other end said calmly.

Luo Qianqian acknowledged, then followed up with, ”I hope there won’t be any small tasks or something that you’ll want me to do after I start school?”

”I can’t control that, but your abilities have been recognized, so it’s possible someone will seek your help,” the person on the other end finished, but then there came the sound of knocking and immediately added, ”I have to hang up now. If you need anything, send an email.”

Luo Qianqian, however, had her eyes wide open in astonishment. What? What did she just hear? Did someone say ’check the gas’?

Soon, an email address was sent over, but the sender’s number was invalid, leaving Luo Qianqian stomping her foot in frustration.

But she still saved the email address; this person was too mysterious. Owning a castle and giving it away so freely, able to abduct someone without leaving a trace—according to his speculation, this had to be a vampire, no doubt about it. Vampires live for an incredibly long time and amass countless wealth—it’s entirely possible.

The more Qianqian thought about it, the chillier she felt, shivering as she went to inform Old Master Luo of her decision. She skipped the parts about Shufan and the mysterious person’s phone call, and seeing her grandfather’s relieved look, she touched her nose. How was this anything like a typical retired military officer? In most cases, people hoped their grandchildren would follow in their footsteps, but her grandfather seemed to fear her taking the same path; truly, her grandfather was different from the rest.

Upon hearing Luo Qianqian’s decision, Yue Tingyu also breathed a sigh of relief. Her granddaughter was unaware of the Han Family’s current power, and if something were to happen to the girl, how could she face her deceased son?

To celebrate Luo Qianqian’s advancement in her studies, Old Master Luo didn’t hesitate to sweep his hand in a grand gesture and reserve a venue for a celebration banquet at the hotel. He called up his old comrades one by one, his laughter spreading as congratulations echoed on the other end of the line.

Listening to her grandfather’s boasting and her grandmother gossiping quietly with the aunts, Luo Qianqian couldn’t help but feel speechless. She carried two pieces of fruit back to her room only to see Luo Yanran standing at her door, leaning against the wall: ”Brother? What’s going on?”

”Taking you out for some fun,” Luo Yanran said with a smile. ”Pity you have no one to play with.”

??? Luo Qianqian’s face was full of question marks, but when Luo Yanran took her out, she understood why. Apart from Qin Nuan, there was another couple. Were they here to flaunt their relationship in front of her, the single dog???

It was true that no one was playing with her, but she had pretty much had her fill of fun these past days. So, with an indifferent smile, she calmly sat in the lounge area, quietly enjoying her parfait, watching the two excited couples run around.

A middle-aged man suddenly sat beside her. Luo Qianqian looked up to see the man writing on a notepad: Could you give me a dollar to buy some water?

Luo Qianqian was taken aback, but she called over a server: ”A cup of honey pomelo tea, please, with less ice.” After paying, she said with a beaming smile to the man, ”It’s on me.”

The only part of the middle-aged man that was visible were his eyes, which were quite attractive. Qianqian felt a sense of familiarity. He wore a mask over his mouth and a cap on his head, his body covered in long clothing. However he looked, he did not appear to be someone who couldn’t afford water. Considering that everyone could run into trouble, Luo Qianqian simply decided to help out this time.

The middle-aged man nodded, then wrote on the paper: Thank you, my phone and wallet are lost. Could you give me a dollar for the bus?

Luo Qianqian blinked. Why was he so fixated on a single dollar?

She still took out her wallet, which contained a photo—a headshot of Xu Tianyi. The middle-aged man’s gaze flickered. Qianqian rummaged through her wallet and, not finding a single dollar, took out five. Upon further thought, she put it back and pulled out twenty instead: ”It’s so hot today; it’s cooler to take the subway.” With those words, she pushed the money toward the middle-aged man.

The man nodded again and then wrote: Is the photo in your wallet of your brother?

Seeing the headshot, Luo Qianqian’s face turned red and she shook her head: ”My brother’s photo wouldn’t fit in my wallet, that’s the person I like.” She chuckled lightly, feeling completely at ease talking with a stranger, casually saying, ”He’s a very outstanding kid...” She paused, then felt awkward calling someone else a kid, as if she wasn’t one herself.

Fortunately, the middle-aged man did not notice, just nodded and wrote: He looks very handsome.

Luo Qianqian squinted her eyes, beaming with joy. Then the honey pomelo tea arrived. The middle-aged man glanced at Luo Yanran heading their way, his eyes flickered, and he wrote one last line: Thank you, until we meet again.

With that, he took the honey pomelo tea and left. The drink had only two pieces of ice but was pleasantly cool, perfect for the weather.

Luo Yanran, looking at the note left on the table and his sister eyeing her wallet, asked with total curiosity: ”Who was that just now?”

Luo Qianqian put away the note with a smile, retorting: ”Why bother about who I’m chatting with rather than spending time with your girlfriend? I won’t get lost.” Even though she said this, she was also curious about why she had kept the note. The handwriting was clear, the style free and easy, written with a fountain pen, but the content didn’t seem to hold any collector’s value.

Rolling his eyes, Luo Yanran responded: ”Don’t run off with anyone. Wait for me—I’ll be back after Nuannuan and I catch that ugly pig.” Then he left again.

Luo Qianqian sipped on her shaved ice and, once Luo Yanran was gone, her expression reverted to one of indifference. She seemed aloof to everything around her, unworriedly playing with her phone.