In silence, night quietly descended.
Wen Jiu nestled in the corner of the back seat of the car, solidifying himself into a statue.
K had just finished wiping the gun in his hand, lazily lifted his eyelids, and asked with a puzzled look, "Do you care that much?"
Those people I care about.
Wen Jiu glanced at him and said, "You don't understand."
In his past life, he seemed to have everything.
Fame, fortune, honor, dreams... a good management team and fans.
But he was very lonely.
He died alone.
In this life, he has Feng Chi, who loves him to the core, Brother Qu, who has never abandoned him through two lifetimes, and so many other friends who truly care about him, such as Shen Huaian, Lin Changfeng, Feng Yuan, and Yu Qing.
He is already very content.
Today, Wen Jiu knew that their chances of keeping him were slim, and he had a rough idea that there must be a powerful figure behind it all, making it seem like a desperate gamble.
Otherwise, these people would have to suffer greatly if they wanted to take him away.
Wen Jiu subconsciously touched the watch hidden in her sleeve, then, afraid that the action was too deliberate, she turned to caress the ring and kissed it carefully.
He thought: I am not alone.
"I don't understand." K watched him kiss and touch those so-called tokens of love and couldn't understand it at all. "If I were you, I would take advantage of the chaos and run away, regardless of whether those people were injured or dead, or whether these things were destroyed or lost."
"Only by escaping can we have a chance of survival."
"You have too many burdens; anyone could become a drag on you."
"They're not a burden," Wen Jiu said. "And you're not me either."
K thought about it and agreed.
"Is this what they mean by 'one is influenced by one's company'?" K asked again. "I've only spent half a day with you, and I've become just as naive as you."
"How could you ask such a silly question?"
Wen Jiu: "... Say that again and I'll bite you!"
K laughed heartily, and for some reason, he actually felt a little expectant. He held out his hand to Wen Jiu: "Go ahead and bite."
"Bite it however you like."
Wen Jiu turned away in a huff.
After a while, she turned back and asked, "I'm hungry, is there anything to eat?"
He glanced at the driver and his subordinate in the front passenger seat and asked, "Don't you guys eat?"
No one responded.
Wen Jiu touched her stomach, which made a gurgling sound.
"Here." K pulled a compressed biscuit from his jacket pocket and tossed it to him. "Eat it."
Wen Jiu reached out and took it. "... Is this for dinner?"
"It'll have to do," K shrugged. "Someone will prepare a big meal for you."
Wen Jiu pretended not to hear, opened the packaging, and took a bite.
"It's not tasty, it's dry and tough," Wen Jiu said disdainfully. "And it's not even spicy."
"Is this what you usually eat when you're on missions?" Wen Jiu asked subtly. "That's so meager!"
K clicked his tongue, took out a cookie, and took a bite. "You're such a busybody."
"I just feel that this job is so tiring and dangerous, you can totally choose not to do it."
"What do you know? People in this line of work are all cheap," K sneered. "If you don't kill others, plenty of others will want to kill you."
Wen Jiu chewed and swallowed, but lost her appetite.
"Where is there any distinction between high and low, noble and base in life?" Wen Jiu murmured softly.
K glanced at him, and seeing the other's serious expression, he was also somewhat moved, and naturally became more talkative.
"That's how it is where I come from. You either kill to climb the ranks, or you get killed. There are no schools, no hospitals, and if you die, there's no guarantee anyone will collect your body."
After speaking, he observed Wen Jiu's expression and, to his surprise, saw the other person's delicate and handsome brows furrow. K's lips curled into an unconscious smile.
A small border town in Country M.
Inside the tavern, a dozen bodyguards stood with guns at the Feng Yuan, dressed in a sharp black leather jacket, leaned back on the leather sofa, his posture languid and relaxed, ignoring the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd.
Before him were two goblets, the liquid inside them a vivid, bloody red.
The quiet atmosphere stood out starkly against the chaotic surrounding market area.
Just then, a dozen jeeps surged from the street and rushed into the market amidst the vendors' screams and shouts.
Machine gun fire swept through the streets, leaving a trail of blood and gore. Countless people scattered in panic, and those who couldn't escape were dragged under the vehicles, splattering blood everywhere.
After a screeching sound, the vehicle came to a stop, and dozens of bodyguards with submachine guns got out and surrounded the tavern.
Immediately afterwards, a burly man in black, with a black dragon tattoo on his left arm, entered the tavern and gave the silver-haired beauty on the sofa an apologetic smile:
"I'm a step too late, Y. Long time no see."
" Allen, you're late again." Feng Yuan slightly raised his chin, a hint of displeasure in his eyes. "The usual."
"Are you angry?" The man called Allen leaned forward slightly and bowed. "It was my fault. I hope you won't take offense, beautiful lady."
After saying that, he walked to the opposite side of the sofa, sat down, picked up a wine glass, and downed it in one gulp.
He squinted contentedly, reminiscing, "The drinks made by the beautiful lady are still the best."
"Sweet, Delicious, and addictive."
Allen opened his grey-blue eyes, his gaze sweeping over the other person, and said meaningfully:
"I wonder if your blood, my beauty, is also like this, so delicious that one longs to taste its essence."
Feng Yuan chuckled softly, his eyes gradually turning dangerous. "You can try."
Upon hearing this, both sides secretly tightened their grip on their guns, and a murderous intent surged in the area filled with the smell of gunpowder.
Finally, Allen sighed, enduring the muzzle of more than a dozen guns from the other side, and said with a sigh, "You're still so tough to deal with."
"This is difficult, very difficult..."
Feng Yuan merely frowned as she looked at him.
"Alright, let's get down to business." Allen shrugged helplessly. "The main reason I wanted to meet you is to ask you out. In your lousy organization, you're the only one I trust."
That's why I specifically asked you to escort them.
I'll send you the address later. Leave at this time tomorrow.
"I'm sorry I can't disclose the specific route at the moment, as this shipment is very important to me," Allen emphasized gravely. "Very important."
"Oh?" Stared at by dozens of eyes, Feng Yuan remained unfazed, his mockery laced with Malice. "More important than your own life?"
Upon hearing this, the bodyguard aimed at Feng Yuan's head, knowing that if he spoke disrespectfully again, he would be riddled with dozens of bullets.
"Hey, how could you do this to my beauty?" Allen feigned anger. "Put the gun down!"
"Alright." Feng Yuan, who was never very patient, frowned and spoke with a more serious tone, "If it weren't for the higher-ups insisting I take this mission, Allen, I wouldn't be sitting here."
Allen watched him quietly as he asked, "Do you know what the chances are of this shipment you have being targeted?"
After a long silence, Allen didn't answer but instead said, "Y, you've changed."
Feng Yuan's eyes trembled slightly.
He lowered his gaze again, and smiled calmly, "Is that so?"
"I heard you had your eye on someone, which caused the mission to fail."
Allen leaned forward, placing his hands on the table, his grey-blue pupils reflecting the other person's gaze, as if trying to pierce through them. "I'm very curious, just who are you—"
"To be worthy of Lord Y's attention."
Feng Yuan raised his eyes, stared for a long time, and slowly curled a provocative smile.
Her red lips parted slightly, silently saying, "It... is... not... you."
Allen's eyes suddenly darkened.
Those grey-blue eyes, like those of a venomous snake, stared intently at him.
It seemed as if at any moment it would ensnare him, bite his Feng Yuan, pierce his veins, and drag him into Endless Abyss.
After a long pause, he said with a forced smile, "I sincerely hope that you won't make the same mistake twice."
Feng Yuan's blood-red eyes curved slightly, and the madness emanating from her lips made the man laugh heartily.
He said, "That's natural."
The brief meeting ended pleasantly. After everyone left, Feng Yuan waved his hand, signaling everyone to go out first.
I got up and went to the sink outside the bathroom to wash my face.
When I looked up, my back was already covered in a thin layer of sweat.
It's almost over, Feng Yuan thought, everything is about to end.
Raising her hand, Feng Yuan tucked her silver hair, which had fallen in front of her, behind her ear, turned around, and walked out without looking back.
But a pair of warm, large hands covered her mouth, wrapped around her waist, and dragged her into a dimly lit, cramped space.