Huo Yan dropped Rong Yichen off downstairs at his apartment in Cloudscape. He watched Rong Yichen enter the building before starting the car and merging into traffic.
The sound of the engine faded into the distance, but Rong Yichen didn’t go upstairs. He stood in the hallway for a few seconds, making sure Huo Yan’s car had completely disappeared from view, then turned toward the underground garage.
He walked through the dim passage and found the inconspicuous black BYD in the parking space at the very back.
He opened the door and got in. Tapping the steering wheel twice with his fingertips, he started the car at an unhurried pace and drove toward Jiangyue Gardens, where Shen Qingci lived.
When he reached Shen Qingci’s building, Rong Yichen parked by the roadside without turning off the engine. He lowered the window and lit a cigarette.
A few minutes later, Shen Qingci finally emerged from the building in casual clothes, unhurried. She opened the passenger door and got in, casually tossing her backpack onto the back seat.
As soon as she was in the car, Shen Qingci slumped into her seat and stared ahead wearily. Her voice was full of irritation. “V, you have no idea. The Shen family is a bunch of lunatics. And my older half-sister—honestly, I’m telling you, if she can’t find some way to make my life miserable every single day, she can’t stand it.”
“Mm.” Rong Yichen held his cigarette between his fingers and gazed at the road sign ahead, his tone disdainful. “My brother’s not so bad, then. He just looks down on me. He can’t even be bothered to talk to me.”
“Oh, they’re so afraid I’ll take their money. With assets like theirs, I couldn’t even get a decent bite out of it.” Shen Qingci scoffed and clenched a fist, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes. “Once I’ve taken care of everything, I’m going to make them pay.”
Rong Yichen gave a dismissive laugh and turned the wheel, pulling onto the main road. “For now, you’ll just have to put up with it.”
Shen Qingci closed her eyes and sighed helplessly. “This isn’t how a wish-fulfillment story is supposed to go.”
As Rong Yichen steered the car, he quickly reviewed everything that had happened lately and said gleefully, “Actually, our lives have been pretty great. It’s just that childhood was a bit rough.”
Shen Qingci pursed her lips and clicked her tongue, then abruptly returned to the point. “By the way, did you see who Sheng Yong was with?”
Rong Yichen shook his head and tapped the steering wheel with his fingertips. “Not clearly. We’ll have to check the information after we’ve reviewed the footage. But I’ve seen one of them in the news before—the president of Kangsheng Pharmaceuticals.”
Shen Qingci played Snake on her phone, looking nonchalant, though a sly smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Sheng Yong’s got some ability, all right. He’s got connections on both sides of the law, and he can even get in with Dark Night. He must be quite something.”
“Definitely.” Rong Yichen brushed his fringe aside, his tone turning cold. “I’m planning to have someone tail him for a few days, but I noticed he’s secretly assigned himself a lot of bodyguards. That’ll make things difficult.”
Shen Qingci kept playing Snake and accidentally crashed into the wall. She clicked her tongue, turned off her phone, and slipped it into her pocket. “That old bastard is full of tricks.”
Rong Yichen gave a soft laugh, a cold glint passing through his eyes. The image of Teacher Liu lying on a hospital bed, barely clinging to life, flashed through his mind. “He picked a fight with us, after all.”
.
They drove all the way to Xingtan Club. The black BYD pulled discreetly into the underground garage. Rong Yichen and Shen Qingci walked out side by side, crossed a hallway lined with subtly patterned carpet, and took the elevator straight to the fourth floor. They found Room 404, entered the code, and went inside.
Heavy blackout curtains covered the windows, leaving the room dim. Dozens of expensive bottles of red wine gleamed coldly in the faint light on the fine wine cabinet against the wall; the vintage and region labels on each bottle spoke of their considerable worth.
Shen Qingci’s eyes lit up, and she made a beeline for the cabinet. Her fingertips traced the cool glass door as she said, unable to hide her excitement, “I knew there’d be good stuff here. Let’s open a bottle and unwind.”
Rong Yichen ignored her and went straight to the sofa. He sat down, crossing his long legs with lazy ease. His slender, fair fingers reached for the black house phone beside the sofa. He pressed an extension button and spoke in a languid voice, its cool edge leaving no room for argument. “Come up.”
A knock came at the door soon after. Shen Qingci had already opened the wine. Holding a glass, she went to answer it and smiled brightly at the manager in his immaculate suit. “Come on in, Manager Chen.”
Manager Chen’s gaze paused on Shen Qingci for a second. He took in the young woman in black casual clothes without betraying any reaction, then quickly entered the room.
He looked over and saw a young man seated on the sofa, wearing a white sweatshirt and black jeans. His features were handsome and refined, yet he carried an air of authority far beyond his years.
Manager Chen was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected these two young people to be so close to the club’s enigmatic, elusive owner. Composing himself, he went to Rong Yichen’s side and bowed slightly. His voice was serious and formal. “Sir, I’m Chen Su. What can I do for you?”
Rong Yichen nodded. Sitting with his legs crossed and his fingers interlaced over his knee, he smiled faintly as he spoke. “I want to see today’s surveillance footage.”
Manager Chen asked no questions. He nodded, took a tablet from his briefcase, tapped the screen a few times, then handed it to Rong Yichen. “It’s all here, sir.”
Rong Yichen took the tablet and slid his finger across the screen, adjusting the footage. Holding her wineglass, Shen Qingci came and sat beside him, leaning over to watch. The alcohol had made her eyes shine a little brighter.
At a certain point, Rong Yichen tapped the screen to pause the footage. He curled his index finger slightly, looked at Shen Qingci, and pointed to the image on the screen. “Right here.”
Shen Qingci understood at once and took out her phone to photograph it.
After closing the tablet, Rong Yichen turned to Manager Chen. “When Sheng Yong, President Sheng, comes to the club, does he only use this private room?”
Chen Su nodded and answered respectfully, “Yes, sir. He usually meets guests in this room. Sometimes, when he’s had too much to drink, he goes to Room 302 to rest.”
Rong Yichen nodded and returned the tablet to Chen Su. “All right. You can go.”
Chen Su acknowledged him with a nod and turned to leave, but Rong Yichen stopped him.
Rong Yichen’s cool voice drifted from behind him, slow and measured, with a hint of pressure barely perceptible beneath it. “Manager Chen, please don’t tell anyone about what happened today.”
Chen Su turned and met the young man’s eyes, which held no warmth. His heart tightened, and he nodded at once. “I understand, sir.”
The young man’s eyes curved slightly, though his smile never reached them. “You’re a smart man, Manager Chen. Go.”
“Of course.”
After Chen Su left, silence settled over the room again. In the short time he’d been gone, Shen Qingci had already dug up information on the two men who’d been with President Sheng. She tossed her phone onto Rong Yichen’s lap.
Rong Yichen picked it up and quickly scanned the information on the screen:
Kang Jian: Head of Kangsheng Pharmaceuticals. The company is currently locked in fierce competition with Yongxing Pharmaceuticals, and there are rumors throughout the industry that the two companies are planning a major partnership.
Zhao Dongming: The illegitimate son of the Zhao family patriarch. He’s never been valued by his father and was sent abroad to make his own way for several years when he was young. No one knows what kind of business he built, but by the time he returned, he was a changed man—ruthless in his dealings, with a background that had become unfathomable.
Shen Qingci studied Rong Yichen’s expression and spoke slowly. “Neither of them is simple. We’ll have to look into them more closely.”
Rong Yichen turned through the information and nodded slightly.
Just then, a jarring phone ringtone broke the silence.
Rong Yichen picked up his phone and looked at the contact name: “Old Man Who Loves Causing Trouble.”
He and Shen Qingci exchanged a glance. From his eyes, she could tell he was thinking, Here comes another headache.
Rong Yichen answered. His face was expressionless, but he deliberately made his voice sound extremely obedient. “Hello, Grandfather. What is it?”
Watching him, Shen Qingci couldn’t help rolling her eyes. So fake.
“Rong Yichen, the Lu family and the Zhou family’s engagement banquet is the day after tomorrow. Sheng Yue will be there, too. You should go and spend some time talking with her.” Old Master Rong’s aged voice came through, measured and unhurried, but carrying an unmistakable note of authority.
Rong Yichen lowered his eyes and replied obediently, “All right, Grandfather.”
After hanging up, he tossed the phone onto the sofa and sighed. “They want to use me for a marriage alliance, that’s all. Her grandfather has his eye on this brain of mine.” As he spoke, he tapped his temple, looking resigned.
“How pitiful,” Shen Qingci teased, delighted to have something to laugh at.
Rong Yichen couldn’t be bothered to respond.
Then Shen Qingci seemed to remember something. She pursed her lips and warned him, “Try not to get too close to her. She’s very close to my dear big sister, and she’s no good.”
Rong Yichen leaned back on the sofa, unconcerned. “You don’t have to tell me. I’ve already figured that out.”
Shen Qingci was just about to lift her glass for a sip when her own phone rang. After taking the call, her expression darkened. She tossed her phone down in a fit of anger. “Damn it, my deadbeat dad wants me to go to the banquet the day after tomorrow, too. Where do all these people find so many banquets to attend?”
Rong Yichen laughed at her expense. He was just about to say something when both their phones vibrated at the same time.
A mission had been assigned by the organization.
The text on the screen was cold and stark:
【A】At the Lu family’s engagement banquet in the capital, assassinate Zhou Mingyuan in the name of Organization A. Zhou Mingyuan has openly provoked the organization internationally and captured four of its mercenaries, publicly beheading them.
Publicly beheaded Organization A’s mercenaries?
Rong Yichen and Shen Qingci looked at each other again, a chill settling in both their eyes.