It was a bright afternoon in the southeastern United States, but on the other side of the globe, Pingyi City was just being enveloped by the dawn at 5 AM.

    The phone on the bedside vibrated twice before being silenced by a large hand.

    The man in bed turned over to look at the screen, his eyes slowly focusing. As sleep quickly faded, he sat up, the thin blanket slipping off to reveal a well-built, muscular upper body.

    The number was familiar. At this time, the call could only bring good or bad news.

    The man got out of bed, pulled a cigarette from the pack on the bedside table, and lit it with a snap of the lighter. Then, he walked to the balcony, sliding the glass door open. The view outside was hazy, the morning breeze slightly cool.

    He closed the door behind him and leaned against the railing, dialing back the number from the recent call.

    It only rang twice before the call was answered. The person on the other end spoke quickly and irritably in a long string of English, finally getting to the point: the mission had failed, but they had tried their best, and the deposit was non-refundable.

    The man narrowed his eyes and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. The white mist covered the city before him, with faint lights trying to pierce through the fog. But the fog thickened, smothering the lights until they gradually dimmed and eventually disappeared entirely.

    “I could hire someone else to kill you just as easily as I hired you to kill him,” the man laughed darkly. “You must have plenty of enemies, right? Maybe I won’t need to spend a cent—just a bit of information should do.”

    There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before the person spoke again, this time in a much calmer tone, asking if they could be given another chance.

    “No need. He won’t give you another chance to kill him.” The man responded in English, then added in a Chinese phrase the other person couldn’t understand, “A bunch of useless trash.”

    After settling the dispute over the commission with the unreliable hitmen, the cigarette was just finished. The man hung up the phone and stayed on the balcony for a while longer until the smell of smoke on him had mostly dissipated. Then he returned to his room.

    He left his bedroom and headed down to the second floor of the villa, entering another room and flipping on the light.

    The person in the bed had been anxious and unable to sleep well for the past few days, so they were lightly asleep. The sudden light woke them up, and they groggily asked, “…What’s going on?”

    “There was a call from the U.S.”

    The person in bed snapped awake, struggling to sit up and asked urgently, “Did Dong Yongliang succeed?”

    “No, he was caught.”

    “What? How could he be so useless? At least we didn’t pay him in advance… So, what about Yu Duqiu…?”

    “Yeah, he probably figured it out.”

    “What should we do?”

    “It’s fine. His arrogance and recklessness will eventually lead him to ruin.” The man sat on the edge of the bed. “We’ll have another chance when he returns to the country.”

    The person in bed nodded. “Just make sure he backs off. Don’t kill him. The Yu family is hard to deal with, and those police have been patrolling like dogs lately… We should lay low for now. Tell the U.S. side to stop the shipments—I don’t want them intercepted by the police again like last year. And we’ve already got too many deaths on our hands…”

    “Only two, and Yu Wencheng’s death was an accident, so it doesn’t count.” The man gazed at the gradually brightening horizon, his eyes void of any light, like a cold, dead pond brewing a deep, unfathomable plot. “Do you think Yu Duqiu’s crimes are any less than ours?”

    In the U.S., on Highway 77.

    A gold sports car sped by, kicking up a cloud of dust as it exceeded a hundred kilometers per hour.

    The young man in the driver’s seat, wearing sunglasses, rolled down the window, floored the gas pedal, and laughed heartily as the wind blew his hair parallel to the road. “Enjoying the ride, Bai Zhao?”

    The man in the passenger seat gripped the handle tightly, his brows furrowed, lips pressed together, looking increasingly uncomfortable.

    “Are you getting carsick?”

    “No… it’s the food from the plane coming back up.”

    “Hmm? What did you eat on the plane?”

    “…Nothing.”

    Seeing Bai Zhao’s pale expression, Yu Duqiu gradually slowed down the car. “Don’t throw up in my car. Just hold on for another fifteen minutes—we’re almost there.”

    The sports car left the wide highway, winding through increasingly sparse buildings and denser woods. The scenery turned lush and green, filling most of the view, with the sky only visible through gaps in the tree canopy.

    As the car’s speed stabilized and the air freshened, Bai Zhao began to feel better. He rested his arm on the window frame, enjoying the warm breeze, finally getting a sense of the joy of a ride. He asked, “Where are we going?”

    Yu Duqiu took off his sunglasses, hooking them onto his collar. “We’re heading to the suburbs to find a villa, somewhere to stay for a while.”

    “And how do you plan to find one? Just break into a nice place and have me kill the owner?”

    Yu Duqiu laughed, patting the steering wheel. “First time I’ve noticed your sense of humor. Of course not, I’m a civilized person. Let me show you the power of money.”

    The sports car slowed to a stop by the roadside. Yu Duqiu got out, holding his phone, and left the gullwing door open, a sleek and futuristic design.

    “The best thing about this card isn’t the unlimited credit—it’s that it lets me do whatever I want. As long as it’s not illegal, it can handle almost anything for me.” Yu Duqiu leaned against the car’s hood, pulling out the black card that had been useless at the clothing store earlier. He dialed a number, putting it on speaker. The other end picked up quickly.

    “Hello, Mr. Yu, how can I assist you today?”

    “Hi, I need a place to stay within ten kilometers of this number. Find me a secluded villa—I’ll need it for three days. It’s urgent, so I’d appreciate a response within the hour. Thanks.”

    “Certainly, I’ll find something right away and call you back shortly. Is there anything else you need?”

    “No, that’s all, thank you.”

    After just a few brief words, a problem that might take an ordinary person a week to solve was swiftly handled. Yu Duqiu put away his phone, turning around leisurely, expecting to be met with two astonished gazes—

    However, Bai Zhao’s eyes were fixed on the treetops, not even looking at him.

    “…” Yu Duqiu was a bit speechless as he walked over. “What are you looking at so intently? Did you hear the call I just made?”

    Bai Zhao placed his index finger to his lips, signaling for silence. “Shh, look over there.”

    Yu Duqiu followed his gaze. Between the sparse branches, there seemed to be a small dark shadow moving around, rustling the leaves as it went.

    “It looks like a squirrel,” Bai Zhao said.

    “Yeah, there are a lot of small animals in the American suburbs. Sometimes, you might even see deer on the road.” Yu Duqiu withdrew his gaze and looked at the man beside him.

    Bai Zhao had recovered quickly. Just a moment ago, he had been carsick and weary, but now his complexion had returned to normal. With his head tilted upward, his profile looked smooth and elegant, with only a faint smile at the corners of his mouth and eyes—so faint you’d have to look closely to notice it.

    This man’s moods and thoughts were always hard to read, yet right now, they were clear as day.

    So, he has a pure side too.

    Yu Duqiu felt his own tension inexplicably ease, as if infected by this happy little dog. Leaning against him, shoulder to shoulder, he sighed, “Half an hour ago, we were in the midst of a hail of bullets, and now here we are, basking in the sun and watching squirrels. Life’s not so bad after all.”

    Bai Zhao turned to him, “Were you actually worried back there?”

    “Of course, I’m not invincible.”

    “I thought you weren’t afraid of death.”

    “Fear depends on how you die.” Yu Duqiu touched his chin, seriously contemplating his own death. “Dying of a heart attack while playing with a cute boy in bed at seventy or eighty wouldn’t be so bad. Dying in a lab explosion while inspecting my company would at least leave me with a good reputation, contributing to science. But getting sniped in a small parking lot in a foreign country? That would be a pitiful end to an otherwise glorious life. Don’t you think?”

    The disdain in Bai Zhao’s eyes was unmistakable, and Yu Duqiu thought he was about to be ridiculed. Instead, Bai Zhao turned away, looking at the dense woods. “I don’t think it’s so bad. It’s better than dying alone in some place where no one will ever find you.”

    “You sound like you’d be happy to die with me,” Yu Duqiu said, bending down to pick up a small stone from the roadside. He suddenly flung it at the tree where the squirrel had been—

    With a light “thud,” the squirrel was startled and quickly darted deeper into the woods, disappearing without a trace.

    Yu Duqiu dusted off his hands, somewhat surprised. “Aren’t you going to scold me for bullying a small animal?”

    Bai Zhao had already returned to the car. “You were worried it might jump onto the road and get hit by a car, weren’t you?”

    Yu Duqiu walked over to the passenger side, leaning on the open gull-wing door, and lifted Bai Zhao’s chin with his finger. “Little White-eyed Wolf, where exactly did you come from? You seem to know me pretty well.”

    Bai Zhao looked up. “Didn’t you already investigate where I came from? Besides, are you really that hard to figure out? You have dogs and horses—obviously, you like animals.”

    “I’m not that easy to understand for most people.” Yu Duqiu playfully scratched his chin like he was petting a dog. Glancing at the blood-soaked bandage on Bai Zhao’s ankle, he added, “But I understand what you’re thinking now—your foot hurts, right? Can’t stand anymore?”

    “What, is the young master going to give me a massage?”

    “I already said I’m not going to kneel for you. Don’t you have hands?”

    Just then, a vibration interrupted them. Yu Duqiu took out his phone and glanced at it. “That was quick—they’ve already sorted it out. Not bad efficiency.”

    The black card service reported the general location of the villa and sent over the coordinates. According to the map, they’d be there in another fifteen minutes.

    “Okay, thanks. Also, send a few people over to buy some daily necessities for the next three days, and pick up some anti-bleeding and scar-removal medicine and bandages.” Yu Duqiu gave his instructions and hung up the phone. He closed the passenger door and got back into the driver’s seat, starting the engine and following the GPS directions.

    “Send the villa’s location to Baoguo and have him bring Ji Lin, Lu Qing, and Fei Hua over. Don’t tell anyone else. Oh, and tell them not to bring the guns from the car, and don’t drive either. They need to find their own way here, don’t get caught up in a fight, and don’t even think about catching anyone. Just follow my orders.”

    Bai Zhao did as he was told, but halfway through, he asked, “Can’t we tell Old Liu? Isn’t he one of your mother’s people?”

    Yu Duqiu shook his head. “Anyone with access to the handguns in the car is a suspect for betraying me. So what if he’s my mother’s person? Master Dong has been my chef for over ten years. Of all my staff, I trust drivers the least. They know where I’m going, where I’ve been, and they control not just the wheel but my life. Sometimes, they might drive me straight to my death. That’s why I change my personal driver every year, and with each one, I change my daily routes.”

    Bai Zhao was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Did you start doing this after you were kidnapped?”

    Yu Duqiu gave him a surprised look. “Who told you that?”

    “Uncle Hong.”

    “He’s really getting senile, spilling all my family secrets lately. He did the same at the Grand Hyatt the other day.” Yu Duqiu said helplessly, “You guessed right. That’s when it started. Look, I have so many people at my beck and call, but in the end, the only one I can truly trust is myself.”

    “Do you want a hug for comfort?”

    “Haha, did you turn on your humor switch today?”

    “I’m serious.”

    “Then you’d better put that seriousness away. Don’t let me feel like you’re pitying me.” Yu Duqiu pressed down on the gas pedal, a mischievous smile appearing on his face. “Pity might sound noble, but at its core, it’s just condescension. Do you really think you’re in a position to pity me? Just because you saved me today, you think you can be my equal or even get the upper hand?”

    Bai Zhao quietly gripped the handle, bracing himself against the intense acceleration. “…You think that’s my goal?”

    Yu Duqiu laughed even louder, flooring the gas pedal. The roar of the engine echoed, startling a few birds from the forest into a panicked flight toward the sky.

    “Otherwise? As long as the money’s right, there are plenty of people willing to risk their lives for me. Little white-eyed wolf, I do like you, and I don’t mind indulging you, but in my heart, you don’t really mean much. Don’t think I’m that easy to fool.”

    But Bai Zhao just chuckled and repeated, “In your heart? Do you even remember what you’ve said?”

    Yu Duqiu was puzzled. “What?”

    “Nothing.” Bai Zhao tilted his head back, his gaze distant and unfocused, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. “It’ll be more interesting when you remember on your own.”

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