A red BMW M6 streaked down the main road to downtown Jingdu.

After Liang Siyao was done viewing the video from her laptop, she sent it back to the Bureau 101’s headquarters. She closed her device and faced Xia Lei who was busy driving. “Okay, be frank with me. Why are you coming along to arrest them?”

“It’s better if I come with you. Song Baicheng almost had me killed. I would like to do this in person,” said Xia Lei.

“You’re a terrible liar.” Liang Siyao lips twisted into a wry smile. “We’ve been together for quite some time. I even know the number of moles on your body. Do you really think I’m that oblivious to your thoughts?”

“Come on, you’re overthinking this. Let’s just go get him and bring him back to Bureau 101.”

“Boss Shi may have handed this task to Long Bing initially but when he found out that Ling Han and Yu Shanhe may be involved, he allocated the task to me. I’m aware of the reason behind the switch. To them, I’ve always been the girl from the CIA. They probably think my entire being is part of the CIA right down to my underwear. Coats can be removed but how about my underwear?” uttered Liang Siyao.

What kind of metaphor was that?

“Arresting Song Baicheng means declaring war with Ling Han and Yu Shanhe’s party. The first initiator’s job is the most dangerous and it’s obvious that Boss Shi is unwilling to put Long Bing through it. Therefore, I was chosen. I will always be an outsider to them. Someone with a history not worth repeating. If I successfully arrested Song Baicheng, I would be the first to face immense pressure from both sides. However, if I failed or died on duty, they have nothing to lose. ” ranted Liang Siyao, her heart dropped in loneliness and sadness.

That silenced Xia Lei for a while, there was a long pause before he said, “If you’re not happy with your job, you could just resign and join my company. I’m sure I could find something for you.”

“Let me get this straight. You’re worried about me and didn’t want me to die. That’s why you’re adamant about following me to arrest Song Baicheng, right?”

Xia Lei smiled wryly. She was right, but he didn’t want to confirm it.

“Hey, answer my question,” Liang Siyao was eager for an answer.

“How could I watch you endure this alone? Even though we are...but you are still my sister disciple, there’s no way I can ignore this,” said Xia Lei.

A faint smile appeared on Liang Siyao’s face. “What matters to me is your concern. I’m happy to know that you value me enough to not let me die. It’s not that I have never thought of working for Thunder Horse, it’s just that I have to stay in Bureau 101.”

“Why?” Xia Lei was puzzled. “You joined Bureau 101 in exchange for a return permit and pardon. Now that you’ve got it, why stay?”

“Well, I am doing this for you. Not everyone in Bureau 101 is Long Bing and Tang Yuyan, silly.”

“...”

“If I remained in Bureau 101, I could be of help to you someday. Perhaps, I might be able to offer help during critical times.”

Xia Lei was surprised, “You mean you’re willing to provide me intel?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Memories soon flooded his mind, filling Xia Lei with sadness and melancholy. The better she treated him, the worse he felt.

“Don’t worry.” Liang Siyuan placed a palm on Xia Lei’s thigh. “I’d definitely put up a good fight, I’ll be fine. I just want you to know that I returned and stayed in Bureau 101 for your sake. As long as you understand my intentions, I am satisfied.”

“Why are you still so nice to me?”

“I love you and I always will. That alone is enough for me.” The palm on his thigh trembled before she tightened its grip. It was as if she was using her nails and fingers as the measure of her desperateness to re-enter his life.

The action pained him a little, but he remained calm. That was all he could do. Should he consider a reconciliation? He couldn’t help but think of his messy love life, his mind mercilessly bringing up his father who was going to meet TangYunhai over tea in Shu Di. He could feel a migraine forming between his brows.

The mood in the car became awkward, accompanied by a whiff of sadness that floated in the air.

Just when he was pondering about how to face Liang Siyao, a car in front changed its lane abruptly. He slammed the brakes bringing the car to an emergency stop. His body was thrown forward along with Liang Siyao’s. It wasn’t clear if it was out of instinct or some other reason, she reached out to grab on something, which just so happened to be Xia Lei’s private part.

Xia Lei was stunned, suddenly forgetting how to drive.

Liang Siyao was also stunned and forgot to release her grip.

Their eyes met, eyes channelling complex emotions.

Honk Honk Honk!

Urgent honking could be heard from behind, someone yelled, “Hey! Do you know how to drive?! So what if your car’s a BMW?! Just go to hell already!”

That snapped them back to their senses.

Liang Siyao quickly removed her hand, cheeks turning red in the process but she was not too embarrassed by it. After all, she was no stranger to it. It has just been a while.

Xia Lei stepped on the oil pedal, starting the car again to run normally. His face was flushed, not because he was bashful but due to the awkwardness. The physiological changes of his part were really obvious, making it impossible to hide.

The car behind caught up and drove in parallel with Xia Lei.

The young blond driver leaned out of the window and growled, “Damn it! Don’t drive if you can’t! I’ll teach you how to, haha!”

His passenger, a young man with earrings, stared at Liang Siyao with a smirk. “Hey, babe! Don’t waste your time with that idiot. Come with me and I’ll bring you around!”

“Wow! Gorgeous!” whistled the blond driver. “Come on sweet babe, I’ll make sure you’ll have fun!”

Xia Lei had planned to ignore the two thugs until they started to tease Liang Siyao. He erupted with anger, prompting him to lean out of the car window to yell, “Get lost! Or I’ll beat the shit out of you!”

“Ha! How dare he yell at us!”

“Kill him! Fucking hell! His expensive car is worth smashing!”

The driver turned the steering wildly, bringing his Cruze closer to the BMW M6.

Xia Lei quickly stepped on the brake to avoid the Cruze.

Looking at the raging Xia Lei, Liang Siyao couldn’t help but giggle. She laughed happily as she began to brighten up.

Xia Lei relented, “How could you laugh in a situation like this?! I’m about to explode from the two bastards!”

“You still care about me. You reacted strongly when they insulted me. Your subconscious still thinks of me as its lover,” said Liang Siyao with her smile barely concealed.

A woman’s sixth sense was always sensitive and accurate.

Xia Lei gave a wry smile. “Can we stop talking about this...?”

Before he even got to finish his sentence, Liang Siyao wrapped his lips in a kiss.

A familiar woman with a familiar taste. The sudden kiss brought Xia Lei back to Haizhu, back to the difficult times he experienced when he started his business. Liang Siyao entered his life at such a time and brought him love beyond imagination. They satiated their lust, enveloped themselves in youth and passion again and again everywhere; on the sofa, in his study, on her bed.

“Hey! What the fuck?!” The blond young driver appeared outside the window, walking in on their kiss. Suddenly, a punch flew towards Xia Lei’s head.

Xia Lei raised his hand, slamming his Cobra pistol to the blond’s fist.

His fist was flesh while the gun was made of iron. The blond’s punch came in hard contact with the muzzle of the gun. He screamed painfully while his fist bled from a sudden impact. The thugs weren’t expecting a gun. The blond had thought that it was a mere safety hammer or anything else along the line. His companion was even about to draw his knife. However, as soon as they saw the gun in Xia Lei’s hand, their hearts sunk and their face turned pale in a split second.

“Big...big brother, we’re terribly sorry. We shouldn’t have messed with you. A greater man does not make note of a lesser man’s faults. Please forgive us.” The blond had his tongue twisted, failing to utter a coherent sentence.

“Kneel!” Xia Lei glared at them coldly. He wasn’t the type to get angry, but when he did, he was murderously intimidating.

The thugs knelt on the floor immediately.

Many of the passing cars slowed down to watch the scene unfold.

Fortunately, this was the suburbs, not downtown, or else their action would have caused great panic.

“Let me slap your faces as compensation. Only then will I release you,” said Xia Lei.

Reluctantly, the two thugs placed their faces to the door.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

As Xia Lei raised his arm for the impact, Liang Siyao stopped him. “Forget it, just let them go.“

“They insulted you and I’m just getting revenge for you, why are you stopping me?” questioned Xia Lei.

Oddly, Liang Siyao smiled. “I should thank them instead. If it wasn’t because of them, how would I have known your true feelings?”

“...”

“What are you waiting for? Scram!” she roared at the thugs.

Upon hearing this, they both stood up to flee in panic.

A woman’s mind sure was different. She wasn’t angered by their teasing, in fact, she was delighted. Was this the true power of love?

Xia Lei continued to drive his car downtown.

Liang Siyao giggled for a while before she stopped to probe. “Lei Zi, does this mean we’re back together?”

Xia Lei glanced at her. “Do you think it’ll be this easy? Of course not, the scars you left on my heart haven’t healed completely. How about we sort this out next time?”

“Will a free massage from me help you heal better?” Liang Siyao reached out to rub his chest.

“Stop it, I’m driving. Hey I’m warning you, don’t mess around...”

After an hour, the BMW M6 was parked in an upscale neighbourhood.

Xia Lei left the car, staring awkwardly at his bulging tent. Regarding the reconciliation, he was certain that he didn’t want it, for now. However, her advances were obvious, which was why they were awkward with one another. But he understood why she was so eager. She hadn’t engaged in any form of physical passion ever since they broke up. She was extremely pent up.

Following suit, Liang Siyao left the car too, face red with lust. She acted like a bashful lovesick damsel. This was her happiest moment since her return. Although she had not achieved her goal, some progress was better than nothing. More importantly, she knew that Xia Lei still had her in his heart.

“Uh... let’s head to Song Baicheng’s house,” stammered Xia Lei.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Liang Siyao combed the stray hairs on her forehead.

They approached a building.

Ring... Ring.... Ring...

A phone rang.

Xia Lei slid out his phone to peek at its screen. It was Shi Boren. He hesitated, then he hung up.

“Who’s calling?” Liang Siyan couldn’t see who it was.

“It was a phone call from Boss Shi,” Xia Lei told her honestly.

“Why didn’t you answer his call?”

“He’s probably trying to persuade me to go back. How could I, now that I am so close? Well, forget about it, let’s go get the guy.” Xia Lei kept his phone.

Upon hearing this, Liang Siyao smiled sweetly. “Why don’t you just admit that you’re nervous and worried about me? You’re not over me, isn’t it?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, let’s go,” Xia Lei quickened his pace.

Liang Siyao caught up with him, “How about we go out for a drink tonight after we’re done?”

“I can’t go out, I need to lay low,” replied Xia Lei.

“Then...how about I go to your house?”