They arrived at a bustling area in an old city district, where the characters for "The Neighborhood Office" on the doorplate had been worn down by the passage of time.
Feng Sixi's brows knitted together. "What are you doing here?"
"Just follow me for now."
Yan Yang led the man, who carried a menacing aura that made him seem anything but approachable, into the Bureau, feeling as though she had come here to pick a fight.
Fortunately, a staff member soon came over to ask her, "Hello, how can I help you?"
Yan Yang said gently, "I'm looking for the head of your office, Rong Xiao."
The staff member remained expressionless. "I think you've got the wrong place. We're the department responsible for addressing the needs of residents within our jurisdiction and handling matters related to joint law enforcement. There's no such thing as a… 'head' here. If you're looking for someone like that, you should go elsewhere."
A glimmer of light flickered in Yan Yang's eyes. "That's right, I am looking for Rong Xiao. Go notify the highest-ranking person in charge here, and tell him that Yan Yang is here."
The staff member studied Yan Yang's composed and unruffled demeanor, then glanced at the tall man standing beside her. Dressed entirely in black with a buzz cut so short his scalp was nearly visible, he was cold, hard, and sharp—extremely not to be trifled with.
After a moment's thought, she led them to the waiting area. "Please have a seat, you two. I'll go check whether there's actually such a person you're looking for."
Yan Yang wasn't in a hurry. She pulled Feng Sixi down to sit with her and asked considerately, "Would you like some water?"
Feng Sixi shook his head expressionlessly, then calmly surveyed the environment, which looked no different from any ordinary government bureau office.
His eyes narrowed as he temporarily suppressed the myriad of questions weighing on his mind.
A few minutes later, the staff member emerged and said in a lowered voice to Yan Yang, "Please follow me."
"Just me?"
"Yes."
Yan Yang tilted her head toward Feng Sixi and said in a drawn-out tone, "That won't do. He has to come with me."
"But…"
Yan Yang leaned back, propping her elbows on the sofa, her lips curving into a lazy smile. "Tell them that if he can't come with me, I'm leaving."
What kind of confidence did it take to carry such an air of proud aloofness?
The staff member forced a smile. "Please wait a little longer."
After the woman disappeared, Feng Sixi turned his head, his chilling gaze settling on Yan Yang's face. "What is this place?"
"You'll find out in a bit. Don't be impatient."
She winked one eye, playing coy, looking mischievous and lively.
Feng Sixi's fingertips curled slightly before straightening, tapping a steady rhythm against his thigh.
He would just have to see what new tricks this woman could pull this time.
The wait this round was a bit longer, but when the staff member came out, she had finally caved in. "You two, please follow me."
They followed her through the winding corridors of the Bureau, descended several flights of stairs, and finally arrived at their destination.
The staff member pushed open a door, revealing an entirely different world.
The basement was spacious, divided into many sections. The decor was extremely simple, but the computer equipment arranged throughout made it clear that this place was anything but ordinary.
Most importantly, there was a projection screen over two hundred inches mounted on the wall, currently displaying a live feed of the network activity across various districts of Jing City. Each red dot marked what should be a monitored network zone.
Yan Yang's gaze was calm, as if she had anticipated this all along. Feng Sixi, however, stared at this scene so utterly different from what he'd expected, his expression turning cold.
In an instant, he understood—and deduced the value and purpose of this place.
Who exactly was behind this woman, Yan Yang? Why was she connected to a department of the kind that people only whispered about in hushed tones, the kind that existed solely in plays and fiction?
And what was her purpose in coming to him?
Within moments, Feng Sixi had analyzed countless possibilities—including whether the cataclysmic, maddeningly dark thought buried deep in his heart had been discovered.
But he quickly dismissed that. He had never told a soul about such intentions, nor had he even begun to put them into action.
It could only be something else.
"Please wait here for a moment. Someone will come to receive you shortly. I'll head out first."
The iron gate clanged shut. Yan Yang didn't seem concerned in the least. She leaned casually against a table, tilted her head back, and curled her lips at Feng Sixi. "Aren't you afraid I lured you here just to sell you off?"
Feng Sixi's expression was part mockery, part amusement. "You're welcome to try."
"It's actually possible, you know. Maybe I'll carve out your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—those things fetch a pretty price on the black market."
As she spoke, her finger traced downward from his chest. Her nails, faintly tinged with pink, were a healthy color.
It was clearly a suggestive gesture, yet it carried not a hint of wantonness.
If anything, it seemed utterly innocent.
Blunt, bold, and blatantly provocative.
Feng Sixi lowered his eyelids, the shadows cast by his lashes perfectly concealing every emotion in his eyes—including the dark tempest that flashed through them, a brewing force capable of sweeping a person in and grinding them to dust.
Yet the woman before him seemed utterly oblivious, still smiling at him with that dazzling, eye-catching grin.
He truly wanted… to destroy that radiant smile of hers.
He wanted to see a different emotion surface on her face—when she learned of those dark, negative thoughts of his that deserved only to be locked away. Perhaps her eyes would hold fear, terror, disgust. She would scream and flee, never daring to come near him again.
Just as the shadows around him began to thicken, someone pushed open another door and walked out.
"You're Yan Yang."
Yan Yang's gaze drifted over. In that same moment, the malevolence in Feng Sixi's eyes dissipated.
He observed nonchalantly.
Rong Xiao was dressed as usual in his baggy shorts and slippers, looking disheveled—though perhaps thanks to a face that carried a rugged, masculine handsomeness, he didn't come across as slovenly.
Yan Yang nodded, the smile in her eyes deepening. "That's me."
"I won't bother with introductions either. You've already investigated everyone here thoroughly enough."
Rong Xiao's gaze was stern. "Tell me—what exactly do you want?"
Yan Yang smiled with innocent purity. "My request has been quite clear: I want to join you. And since you were willing to arrange this meeting, it proves you've already made the same decision."
When he had first seen her in that video days ago, Rong Xiao had already been struck by the breathtaking beauty that seemed to leap off the screen. But now, face to face with her in person, he felt a shock unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
A woman like this—she was nothing short of a seductress.
He continued his scrutiny, but suddenly, his vision went dark.
For reasons unknown, Feng Sixi disliked the way Rong Xiao looked at Yan Yang. He shifted sideways, blocking Yan Yang from view.
He said nothing, but the blood-red tint in his eyes made even Boss Rong sense a hint of chilling danger.
Rong Xiao met his gaze, and in the air hung an oppressive tension, sharp and ready to erupt at any moment.
It was only when Yan Yang spoke softly, her tone almost like a coquettish plea, "Sixi, don't scare Boss Rong," that the standoff eased.