How to Stop the Villain from Going Crazy
Translator: Fuyu
Chapter 25 - Why did he burn Trique's business card then? (1)
Bo Li was woken up by Erik's pushing.
She blearily opened her eyes. She thought he wanted another hug, so she reached out and embraced his waist. She buried her head in his chest and was about to go back to sleep.
He seemed to pause for a moment before grabbing her by the arm and pulling her away.
This was the first time he rejected her hug.
Bo Li was fully awake now.
She didn't know how long they had slept, but it was already dawn.
The daybreak was foggy. It seemed to have drizzled last night. The moss, decaying leaves, and dirt had gotten wet and took on a muddy green color.
Bo Li felt troubled just seeing mud.
Even after so much time had passed, she still couldn't adapt to the harsh wilderness. There was no bed or water and mud could swallow her pants and soak her shoes at any time. Even if another ten years passed, she probably still wouldn't be able to adapt to such a life.
While she was hesitating, Erik had already gotten up and left the tent.
Bo Li put on her shoes. Just as she was about to go out to look for him, she suddenly heard a muffled clip-clopping of horse hooves and the creaking of wheels from outside.
Ah, so that was why Erik pulled her away and left in advance. He didn't like to be stared at by strangers and rarely appeared in front of other people.
As a predator, he didn't need to appear in front of others. It was more suitable to launch an attack from the shadows.
The carriage seemed to stop in front of the tent. There was the sound of a door being pushed open. Someone jumped out of the carriage and was walking towards the tent.
Bo Li quickly reacted. She dashed to the side of the tent and only revealed her silhouette. She put her hand behind her back to look like she was hiding a gun.
"Who's there?"
A friendly voice rang out. "Thank God! You're here. I thought that freak killed you!"
That man spoke as if he was familiar with her, but she had no idea who he was.
Bo Li felt nervous. From his words, she could tell that he was aware of Erik's existence and what happened in the circus.
She had thought once the manager died, the circus would end and so would her connection to the circus people.
But now, it seemed that she was still shrouded in the shadow of the circus.
Someone had even secretly followed them here.
Bo Li coldly said, "I don't know who you are."
"But I know you." The man took off his hat and bowed to her. His overly modest movements looked almost comical." You're the circus's Poli Clermont, right?"
"What if I say no?"
The man laughed. "Then I'll say you're not an honest kid. Do you know Emily?"
Bo Li's tone was tense. "She's not with me."
"I know, because she's with me," the man said, "Mr. Clermont, to express my sincerity, I'll introduce myself first. My name is Trique Terry. I'm an honest and friendly middleman. I never use knives or guns. You don't have to worry. Come on out, let's talk."
Bo Li didn't know what thing he was up to. She didn't think it was anything good though. After thinking it over, she slowly walked out.
She told herself that it was fine. Erik was watching her from the shadows. She didn't notice that this was an unhealthy dependence.
Once she got a good look at Trique, she was shocked.
She recognized this tall, thin man. On the morning of the second day she had transmigrated here along with that evening, he had been standing next to Emily while chatting and laughing with the manager.
Emily's fake older brother!
She had guessed right. This man wasn't Emily's older brother.
He described himself as a middleman, but as for what kind of middleman he was and why he followed them… Bo Li didn't know and didn't dare to think further.
"I don't think I'm worthy of your introduction," she said.
"You're so wary. That's a good thing." Trique took out a match from his pants pocket and then a cigarette from his cigarette case. "This world isn't safe. There are bad people everywhere. The police don't care if anything happens. The Pinkerton Agency only serves the rich. For people like us, even if we died, no one would pay attention."
Bo Li coldly said, "Are you saying that even if I die here, no one will care?"
"God as my witness!" Trique raised his hand with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. With a sincere face, he said, "I mean those people in the woods. Your former employer, Mr. Dawes."
Dawes was the manager's last name, and the circus was called Mr. Dawes's Circus.
Bo Li: "Whether Mr. Dawes is alive or dead, what does that have to do with me?"
"So cold." Trique took a puff of his cigarette, shook his head, and lamented, "But that's understandable. Dawes wasn't a good person. He was a cheat and didn't shy away from any crime. To tell you the truth, I'm not Emily's brother."
Bo Li pretended to be surprised by raising her eyebrows.
"Dawes had her follow me in the hope that she would contribute herself to science. You know, she has four legs. A lot of scientists are curious if she has two sets of organs. And if so, how do they work during her pregnancy? Dawes hired me to be a lobbyist. He wanted me to persuade Emily to agree to euthanasia and donate her body to a curious scientist.
So, this was the art of using language. This man could describe selling a person and obtaining ill-gotten gains as "dedicating yourself to science".
Bo Li sarcastically said, "So are you here to convince me to dedicate myself to science?"
Trique said with a smile, "Dearie, other than Emily, no one has to dedicate themselves to science."
He exhaled a puff of smoke and narrowed his eyes. "I'm here to recruit your companion, Erik."
He finally got to the point.
Bo Li's heart skipped a beat. Mind racing, she tried to get information by asking in a jealous tone, "Erik? Why are you recruiting him? There's nothing good about him. He's just a thief that's a little bit faster at stealing!"
"If you had seen how the manager died, you wouldn't say that."
Bo Li confidently said, "I didn't see it. My horse bolted." That was the truth.
Trique saw that she didn't know anything. His face showed impatience, and his initial good attitude disappeared.
"Stop wasting my time, kid." His address for her changed. "Tell me where Erik is, and I'll give you a large sum of money that will be enough to last the rest of your life. You don't want to be soaked in mud for the rest of your life, do you?"
Trique looked at her like she was a fool that had a treasure and didn't know it. He didn't know that if she handed over that treasure, she would die.
T/N: Next update will be on Sunday at 9:25 PM EST.