Loyalty
She quickly typed on the keyboard, edited the message, and sent it. When the “delivered” icon appeared on the screen, Lin Yan breathed a sigh of relief and hurried back.
Near the abandoned factory, the headlights of a car approached. Lin Yan instinctively rolled into the darkness, hiding behind a sack.
As the factory gate swung open, a group of thugs surrounded a tall, handsome young man as he walked out. The dim light reflected on his fair side profile, and a pair of metal-rimmed glasses sat on his nose.
This face, she would recognize even if it turned to ashes.
Lin Ge!
The word “brother” rolled in her throat, almost about to blurt out, but she clenched it back in her palm.
What’s going on?
Is he being held hostage?
Why is he here?
What is he here to do?
What is his relationship with the Supreme Lord?
……
In that instant, Lin Yan’s mind was filled with countless thoughts, each one related to him.
She tightly clenched her palm, restraining herself from making any noise to avoid alarming them.
“Master Lin, please.” She saw Tiger personally open the car door for him, and Lin Ge sat expressionlessly.
As the vehicle glided away, Lin Yan felt completely drained, leaning against the back of the sack.
For some reason, not long after the car drove off, Lin Ge suddenly turned his head, his expression indescribable, seeming a bit puzzled and a bit sad.
Looking out through the car window, the factory entrance was quiet, with only a few patrolling henchmen.
Driver: “Young Master, what’s wrong?”
Lin Ge turned his face and collected himself, “Nothing, just keep driving.”
Although he wasn’t certain, and there were no familiar figures at the factory entrance, in that moment he truly felt Lin Yan was nearby. He could almost hear the impatient voice of the girl calling out to him.
“Brother.”
Shortly after Lin Ge left, the Supreme Lord suddenly opened his eyes, a spark of intelligence flashing through them.
“Go, go see what Pei Jinhong is up to.”
Several henchmen, armed with guns, quickly walked out upon receiving the order.
Kuba was injured and temporarily unable to move, so he could only slightly move his neck to look towards the Supreme Lord.
“Boss, do you suspect Aunt Hong…”
“This person, have you met her before? What do you think of her?” the Supreme Lord did not directly respond to him but diverted the conversation.
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Kuba thought for a moment, “She is brave and resourceful, a talented individual.”
The Supreme Lord smiled but remained silent, leaning back in his rattan chair.
“Let’s wait and see, see how much of a surprise this Aunt Hong can bring us.”
The group of people were stopped by the staff from the Huange Nightclub as they approached Lin Yan’s room.
“What are you doing?! Sister Hong is resting, nobody is allowed in without her permission!”
“The Supreme Lord ordered us to see Aunt Hong!”
The two groups were at a standoff, guns pointed at each other’s faces, voices raised and faces flushed.
“Everyone is here, if Aunt Hong isn’t here, who else could be a spy? Move aside!”
The leader of the henchmen fired a shot into the ground, successfully intimidating the others. Taking advantage of their momentary shock, he swiftly darted out of the confrontation and lifted his foot to kick the door.
The wooden door creaked open.
Lin Yan appeared at the doorway wearing a white shirt that reached mid-thigh. Her black hair fell on her shoulders, the collar slightly disheveled, clearly pulled open. There were faint red marks on her fair skin, and her slender yet shapely figure exuded a mature woman’s charm. Her straight legs firmly planted on the ground, she exuded a variety of alluring qualities from head to toe.
The onlookers at the door swallowed nervously.
Lin Yan showed some impatience, “What’s the matter?”
Liu Zhi grasped her waist, his expression grim, “If there’s nothing, then leave.”
The minions then dispersed with trepidation.
Liu Zhi slammed the door shut and turned around, grabbing the person firmly and pressing him against the door, lowering his voice in a growl.
“Where did you just go?! When I came to your room, there was no one inside!”
The rope from the window Lin Yan climbed in through still hung on the window sill, serving as irrefutable evidence.
She acted ruthlessly, kneeing him in the groin while simultaneously elbowing him in the temple. Although her strength may not have been considerable, her movements were rapid and precise, using the hardest part of the body to strike the most vulnerable spot.
Caught off guard, Liu Zhi winced in pain, seeing stars, stumbling back a few steps before stumbling over a chair.
The patrolling soldier outside rolled his eyes.
“Damn, with all this commotion, I might just want to find a woman for some fun too.”
“Enough, with what you’re like, take a look in the mirror while you’re taking a leak. Do you think Aunt Hong would go for you?”
A wave of laughter echoed down the corridor.
The fight in the room continued.
In terms of strength, he had a significant advantage over Lin Yan, but when it came to fighting skills, combat experience, and reaction speed, Lin Yan was far superior to him. For the time being, neither could overpower the other.
Especially as Lin Yan fought back while being pressed onto the bed, gripping his neck tightly, she could still counterattack fiercely. With a swift Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique, she flipped him over, caught his hand, kicked him away, and knocked over the table.
Gasping for breath, Liu Zhi wanted to get up again, but the dark gun barrel was already pointed at his forehead.
With a click, the bullet was chambered.
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Lin Yan swallowed hard, suppressing the taste of blood in her throat, and regulated her breathing.
“You lost.”
Liu Zhi slowly closed his eyes, but didn’t hear the gunshot. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lin Yan placing the gun on the bedside table.
“You’re not going to kill me?” There was a hint of surprise in his eyes.
“You didn’t report me just now, so we’re even.” Lin Yan shakily struck a match, lit a cigarette, coughed violently a few times, and started to feel a bit better.
“I can go now.”
“It’s too late.” She sat on the edge of the bed, smoking, looking down at him.
“Once that time has passed, if you can’t catch me in the act, the Supreme Lord, being suspicious by nature, might not believe you. It could end up with you being unable to catch any foxes and just causing trouble for yourself.”
Clutching his teeth, Liu Zhi’s eyes were a bit red. “What… what were you really doing? Did you… betray us?”
As he asked this question, Lin Yan’s mind wandered for a moment. During her time as an undercover agent, she had witnessed bloodshed, death, conspiracies, power struggles, money, and drugs. She had also indulged in everything that comes with being a leader in the criminal underworld.
The support of her subordinates, the thrill of life and death decisions, immersed in the world of luxury and debauchery.
In many moments – the flickering neon lights, tossing a stack of cash into the air, being addressed as “Sister Hong,” pointing a gun at someone’s head, raising her arms and calling forth a tidal wave.
She suddenly understood why that undercover police officer had eventually become a double agent.
Everyone has desires, and she was no exception.
Perhaps the reason why Lin Yan could portray Pei Jinhong so convincingly was because fundamentally, they were the same kind of people, equally ruthless, equally cunning, equally deceitful, and unpredictable.
What sets Lin Yan apart is that an invisible thread is tied to her, with the other end held by a woman named Song Yuhang. This adds a baseline beyond desire.
Chen Chu Nan made her understand love, while Song Yuhang taught her how to love.
It was this tiny sliver of love that kept her stumbling along in the muddy path.
Lin Yan smiled and reached out her hand towards him.
“You’ll understand this question in the future. The most important thing for a person is not loyalty to others, but never betraying their own heart.”
“Is it worth it to do so?”
“It’s worth it.”
“No regrets?”
Lin Yan shook her head. “No regrets.”
Liu Zhi watched as the cigarette in her fingertips dimmed, resembling his own love that had extinguished before it could even ignite.
He gritted his teeth, still unwilling to give up, and asked her once again.
“What… exactly is it for?”
Lin Yan looked into the distance at the faint glimmer of dawn shining through the window.
“Do you have a place you particularly want to go back to?”
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Liu Zhi was puzzled by her question, thought for a moment, and then said, “Yes, I want to go back home.”
Casually, Lin Yan looked at the hint of stubble on his chin and asked.
“How old are you?”
Misunderstanding her intention, Liu Zhi scratched his head. It seemed like they had forgotten they were just fighting for their lives moments ago, and now they were sitting down, opening up their hearts. He wasn’t a smart person; otherwise, he wouldn’t have followed Wang Qiang for so many years as just a small-time thug. His fondness for Pei Jinhong was simply because she was beautiful and attractive.
During his years of wandering around as a hired muscle, he never mentioned his age to anyone.
After a moment of confusion, Liu Zhi still answered.
“I’m twenty, I’ll be able to get married in two years.”
Lin Yan chuckled, flicked the cigarette butt into the ashtray; she indeed seemed a bit younger compared to him.
“You’re still a child, when everything is over, go back home.”
However, that would have to wait until after the trial or before serving a sentence before there was a chance to see family.
She hoped that they all would have the chance to go back home one day.