Be Careful, Scum Dad! Mommy Is Back!
Chapter 400 The Year I Just Got Divorced...

Chapter 400: Chapter 400 The Year I Just Got Divorced...

"You seem very wary of him. Is there something he has over you?"

Lu Xining didn’t let his words distract her. Putting aside the fact that she and Ji Muye were now independent individuals, even if their relationship was still what it used to be in the past, it wouldn’t be appropriate for an outsider like him to sow discord.

She steered the topic towards the relationship between Ji Muye and Meng Lai. The man squinted and stared at her, saying, "Want to know? Come to my room tonight, and I’ll personally tell you."

He handed his room key card to Lu Xining.

At this moment, the morgue was deserted except for the bodyguards accompanying Meng Lai, and the only people left were Meng Lai, Lu Xining, and Cheng Cang. Everyone else had long since fled, unnerved by the gruesome sight of Lott’s death and the violent collision sounds that had occurred earlier.

Behind her, Cheng Cang followed, his wary gaze focused on the ill-intentioned Meng Lai. Yet Meng Lai didn’t pay him any notice, quietly waiting for Lu Xining’s answer.

Lu Xining raised her eyes, fixing her gaze on the scheming old man in front of her, and smiled as she accepted his room key card.

Cheng Cang frowned. "Are you out of your mind?"

To him, this action signaled that Lu Xining had accepted Meng Lai’s invitation.

Meng Lai’s eyes gleamed with anticipation for beauty. His gaze roamed from Lu Xining’s face, lingering with a playful air as it descended gradually downward.

His voice carried a suggestive tone. "Then tonight... I’ll be waiting for Miss Lu to seek her answers."

The man laughed heartily and departed with his bodyguards.

Cheng Cang grabbed Lu Xining’s arm, locking eyes with her and speaking gravely. "Do you have any idea what kind of man Meng Lai is?"

Lu Xining, still holding Meng Lai’s black room key card, replied calmly, "Relax for a moment and listen to me."

"Listen to what? That you’re going to his room tonight to chat with him? Even if we need to move forward, you don’t have to resort to using seduction."

He reached for the black key card in her hand, annoyed by its presence, which prominently displayed Meng Lai’s cabin number.

Lu Xining quickly pulled her hand away, preventing him from snatching the key card. She grabbed his arm and led him to a corner, speaking in a hushed voice, "It has Meng Lai’s fingerprints on it!"

Cheng Cang froze on the spot, his brain rapidly piecing things together.

"I’m sorry," he said, apologizing for doubting her, his voice firm and sincere.

Lu Xining: "Let’s return to the room first and discuss the rest."

If they didn’t deal with these matters swiftly, the ship’s increasing speed might take them to an unpredictable sea territory by tomorrow.

The two guards stationed at the morgue door overheard the tension between the two and glanced over.

Lu Xining and Cheng Cang exchanged a glance, maintaining their act. Cheng Cang continued to appear upset, while Lu Xining spoke calmly, projecting a sense of disagreement mixed with compromise. Their every action was observed by the guards, who reported it to the departing Meng Lai.

By the time they left the morgue, Meng Lai had already reached the secret door Lu Xining had pointed out. He stared at the mermaid inside a new transparent containment unit, his face shadowed with cold cruelty.

"Since you love running wild so much, forget adding water! Let’s keep you locked up in here to dry!"

Also present was Yilijite, who frowned and interjected, "Meng Lai, don’t act rashly. He’s the only successful experiment over these years. We still need to extract his genes for research. Now with Lott gone, if you kill him, how are we supposed to collect samples?"

The transparent unit before them was much smaller than the prior one.

This adjustment was specifically ordered by Meng Lai to teach the mermaid experiment a lesson.

At that moment, the mermaid experiment crouched in the cramped space, his injuries telling the story of his struggle to escape the researchers. His tail bore scales that had been torn away, and injection wounds from the sedatives used to subdue him marred his body, leaving him both pitiful and heartbreaking.

Meng Lai showed none of Yilijite’s patience. His cold eyes bore into the creature inside—this being that had long lost its humanity yet refused to obey their commands.

He demanded harshly, "Was it you who killed Lott?"

The mermaid howled at him, but no sound escaped.

The fierce and untamed appearance he now displayed was worlds apart from the angelic purity he had shown before the banquet guests.

Now he was entirely animalistic.

Yilijite patted his friend’s shoulder, his tone heavy with gravity. "Calm down. Let’s discuss this once Rexiva and Danrus sober up. For now, focus on handling the higher-ups’ matters."

"Meng Lai, with Lott dead, you’ve already made a public appearance. Right now, maintaining order and balance on the surface depends on you. Don’t act recklessly again. Wait until the ship sails into the Public Sea. By then, you’ll have any woman you desire. For now, just endure it."

Yilijite was the calmest and most composed of the group of four.

Meng Lai’s expression flickered with guilt as he listened to his old friend’s words. He didn’t mention his encounter with Lu Xining or giving her the room key card. The people around him were loyal confidants who wouldn’t breathe a word without his permission. Naturally, Yilijite would remain in the dark.

Meng Lai coughed lightly, his voice shaky as he replied, "Don’t worry, I understand the priorities."

Tonight, he planned to "taste" her, fulfilling years of longing. Even back when Chu Zhan’s wife had set fire to the oil, leaving her dead, he had yearned to savor that woman.

God knows, when he woke up and saw her smiling at him, he thought he was gazing upon an angelic manifestation.

Yilijite relaxed somewhat upon hearing his reassurances.

So long as Danrus and Meng Lai didn’t lose their minds over lust, they could return safely to the Public Sea domain.

What Yilijite didn’t know was that his friend’s words were entirely at odds with his actions.

Meanwhile, the subject of his concern, Lu Xining, was in her room with Cheng Cang, replicating Meng Lai’s fingerprint model.

The man, upon entering the room, quickly pieced together a few tiny items that, within moments, transformed into a fingerprint replication device. His efficient movements hinted he had done this countless times.

His gaze reflected a mix of surprise at her capabilities and admiration for her skills. "You’re so practiced at this. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were involved in some kind of shady business."

Lu Xining, deeply focused on the items on the desk, chuckled as she opened up, saying, "When I first got divorced, I felt lost and directionless, so I spent time with friends who had various talents and learned all sorts of things—shooting, Morse code, lock-picking skills... I picked them up during that time."

Learning these new skills kept her distracted, preventing her from pouring all her energy into dwelling on her past relationship and marriage.

Whenever the past was brought up, thoughts of Ji Muye were inevitable.

These days, his demeanor had changed greatly, and his methods of handling issues were markedly different from before.

But one thing that hadn’t changed was his deep regard for his family.