The atmosphere in the office was quite calming.

“Ruyi, here, have some tea.” Liang Siyao had made Jiang Ruyi some rose tea.

Jiang Ruyi looked a little sheepish. “Siyao, you shouldn’t be serving me tea .”

“There’s no need to be so courteous, we’re sisters after all,” said Liang Siyao.

Sisters? Siyao had meant her words. Though Jiang Ruyi was a simple woman, she understood the underlying message. She held the teacup carefully between her palms and beamed. “Yes, we shouldn’t treat each other like strangers. If anyone dares to bully us, we should team up against them.”

Liang Siyao briefly cast a glance at Xia Lei. With a smile, she responded, “He’s pretty fierce. We won’t be able to take him down even by joining forces. It’s probably better for us to just surrender.”

Xia Lei said, “Yeah, how could you talk about attacking your own man?”

“Ptui!” Liang Siyao spat with a blush. “You’re so shameless! Who the hell is your woman?”

“How could you say something like that to the two of us? What the hell are you trying to do?” Jiang Ruyi was obviously on Liang Siyao’s side now.

Abruptly, a filthy smirk appeared on the corner of Xia Lei’s lips. “Am I wrong? I’m about to make you be the mother of my children. I’ve already decided that I should start creating my heir now.”

“What the fuck? Jeez, how could you say things like that out loud?” Liang Siyao turned red.

“Yeah. You’re such a shameless man.” Jiang Ruyi’s face was beet red too.

Though the two women had acknowledged each other’s existence and were willing to accept each other, there were things that should only be said in private. But Xia Lei had the mind to say something so filthy around both of them and even brought up the topic of bearing children. They couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

Despite that, Xia Lei put on a straight face and asked, “So... Are you going to carry my children?”

“I...” Liang Siyao muttered bashfully. “It’s been so long since Ruyi came to Jingdu, you should have it with her.”

“I... I...” Frustrated, Jiang Ruyi stomped her heel. “That’s it, I’m out. I’m going to visit Uncle Xia now. I’ll go complain to him that his son is a gigantic bully!”

And then she left.

Jiang Ruyi decided she had enough of Xia Lei’s teasing.

Liang Siyao quickly chased after her. “Let me walk you there.”

The two women left Xia Lei alone in the office with no one to tease.

Watching the two women hook shoulders as they exited the building, Xia Lei let his wandering gaze land on their lovely behinds. Immediately, his heart hummed in delight. They had given him a safe space from his stress and agony.

Xia Lei sat in silence for a bit before leaving the office block to the garage.

Thunder Horse Organization’s first tank prototype was scheduled production. He was going to be very busy.

Before he knew it, a day had passed.

Sylvia and Annina were adamant on working overtime in the garage. Failing to convince the German workaholics, Xia Lei returned to the Peace Mansion alone.

Dinner was enjoyed with family, though Xia Xue and Liu Zhengnan had quickly left the table after finishing their share. Following that was Xia Changhe.

“Uh... I’m going to check on the two German girls in the garage. You guys may continue talking.” As soon as Xia Changhe left, Liang Siyao uttered an excuse to escape the dining room.

Xia Lei’s voice was gentle. “You know, there’s no need for you to leave.”

Liang Siyao turned to glare at him, quickly coming over to whisper into his ear harshly. “Don’t you dare think about it.”

“Ruyi, I’ll be leaving first. Bye.” Liang Siyao bid Jiang Ruyi farewell.

Jiang Ruyi’s cheeks turned pink, nodding stiffly in response. The only thing she could say was a meek ‘Mm’. The woman was fully aware that Liang Siyao was purposely giving her and Xia Lei some privacy. Though the circumstances behind their dynamics were a little weird, Jiang Ruyi was sincerely grateful for Liang Siyao’s thoughtfulness.

Now that Xia Lei and Jiang Ruyi were the only ones left in the dining room, they allowed themselves to stare into each other’s eyes. Back then, they were desk mates. Her bag would always be filled with snacks to attract his attention, but she’d find a hundred reasons to deprive him of it.

They continued to stare at each other until Jiang Ruyi began to feel a little bashful under Xia Lei’s intense stare. She lowered her head and averted her eyes. “What are you looking at? Are you not done yet?”

“How could I ever stop staring at you? I could never get tired looking at you for the rest of my life.” Xia Lei’s voice sounded so magnetic and gentle all of a sudden.

“You’re quite good with your words. How many women had you managed to trick into your sheets?” Jiang Ruyi looked a little jealous.

Xia Lei chuckled and left his seat. In one swift motion, he hoisted Jiang Ruyi up and left the dining room towards his room. The lights illuminated the path, leaving behind a trailing shadow of a pair of lovers.

“It’d be nice if you could hold me like this forever.” Jiang Ruyi was quick to brush away the thought of Xia Lei as a womanizer. She wrapped her arms around his neck, melting into his embrace. “Promise me... Promise me you’ll hold me like this for life.”

Xia Lei laughed. “Are you trying to kill me? I’d be dead if I tried to carry you like this for life.”

“Are you going to do it or not?” Jiang Ruyi nipped his earlobe. She feigned fierceness but placed no strength into her bite.

Xia Lei guffawed. “Alright, alright. I’ll hold you like this forever, okay? I’ll carry you around the garden all night long.”

Jiang Ruyi was smiling but the latter half of his response quickly erased that away. She whined, “How dare you!”

“What are you going to do about that?”

“Well, I want you.”

“Aren’t I right in front of you?”

“I mean I want your...” She bit his ear then mumbled incoherently.

Xia Lei urged, “Sorry, didn’t hear that. What did you say?”

The two continued to bicker. Unknowingly, they finally made it to Xia Lei’s room. A warm bed and dimmed lights, the room was filled with the smell of love.

They tangled themselves in one another. Now was not a time for words.

They paused.

“What is that?”

“It’s an antidote.”

“Huh? I’m not poisoned. Why are you making me use an antidote?” Jiang Ruyi was perplexed.

Xia Lei came closer to her ear. “No, you’re not poisoned. I’m the one who is poisoned.” Then, he murmured something into her ear.

Jiang Ruyi broke into a violent flush. “No wonder I couldn’t get pregnant! My mom even brought me to get checked a few days ago. Turns out there’s nothing wrong with me. I purposely took a day off to have you accompany me for a check but you’ve already handled it! You’re so naughty!”

“Well then, let me show you how naughty I can be!” Xia Lei prowled on her.

The bed creaks of the night told an unspeakable story.

When morning came, the man arose while the beauty remained sleeping in the sheets.

Xia Lei had made sure to cover Jiang Ruyi well with the blanket before leaving the room. But before he could leave, Jiang Ruyi had kicked away the covering unceremoniously. Worse, she tossed and turned, finally letting her long legs rest on top of the blanket. Her round, delicate white mass exposing itself for his enjoyment.

Xia Lei smiled helplessly and shook his head, allowing his mind to wander back to their rendezvous last night.

The early sunlight was beautiful. It was rare to have such good weather in Jingdu.

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

Xia Lei brought up his phone and glanced at its screen. The number displayed was surprising as it indicated that it was a call from Italy. He immediately thought of someone and accepted it.

“What can I help you with, Mister Walton?”

“I swear I’m using a new number but you managed to identify me. I’m impressed, you are a smart man.” Walton’s voice came through the receptor.

“What’s the matter?”

“You’ve killed many of our people. I’m sure you know the nature of my call?”

“Mister Walton, you better think your words through. I can hire an Italian lawyer to sue you.” Xia Lei’s voice turned cold. “Or perhaps, I could use another way to get my justice.”

Walton fell silent. He uttered, “Mister Xia, I’m not looking for a fight. I want to end our war.”

“End our war?”

“Yes, what do you think of that?” Walton’s tone had hints of anxiety and wrath.

Xia Lei abruptly broke into laughter. “Mister Walton, we were never enemies and there was no war between us. Why are you talking about ending a war?”

The earlier battle at the Sacred Palace in Malta had wiped out a majority of Knight Hospitaller’s elites. The current state the religious organization was insulting to their prior state. If Xia Lei had chosen to attack them again, a few of his Chinese Zodiac Battle Team members would do the job. This was why Walton decided to contact Xia Lei, the man wasn’t thinking about revenge but protection!

“I’m glad you said that. I could worry less now.” Walton continued, “About our sacred relic...”

Xia Lei threatened him in a low voice, “Mister Walton, sometimes it’s not good to be so greedy. I’ve paid the Knight Hospitaller fifty million USD and gave you access to weapons. All I got in return were your relentless attacks and betrayal. I don’t owe you anything.”

Walton paused and sighed. “Alright, I guess we’ll just leave the issue to our descendants.”

“Congratulations, Mister Walton. You’re now the true leader of the Knight Hospitaller. If you’d like, we could be very good friends. You’re most welcomed to do business with me,” said Xia Lei.

“Thank you, Mister Xia. Farewell.” Walton ended the call.

The sense of relief Xia Lei felt was akin to easing a weight from his heart. Walton’s personal effort to contact him meant that his problems with the Knight Hospitaller were now eliminated. Walton was a level-headed man. He would know the best course of action to take during this period.

“Leave the issue to our descendants?” Xia Lei recalled Walton’s words. A bitter smile found a way to his face. “I don’t even know if I’d still be around three years later. Even if your Knight Hospitaller was recovered to its glorious state, there probably won’t be a chance for you to seek revenge and snatch the sacred relic home.”

Xia Changhe approached him, in his hand was a neatly-folded map.

Xia Lei put his phone away and greeted the older man. “Father.”

Xia Changhe passed the map to him. “I’ve looked into this. If you hadn’t shown me this, I’d still have no idea where their headquarters was. What a joke, I was a FA member for crying out loud!” He stared at Xia Lei. “Now that you’ve found out where it is, what are your plans?”

Xia Lei pondered then answered, “The FA Organization is no Knight Hospitaller. I must have a flawless plan and sufficient preparation. Jalisco is a place where all the drug lords gather. It’s a place where even the Mexican government could do nothing about. It certainly won’t be easy to erase one FA Organization.”

Xia Changhe patted Xia Lei’s shoulder. “I understand that you have your rationale behind this. I’m also aware that I’m a big part of your resolve to destroy the FA. You’re worried that they would hurt me someday. It’s alright, son. If they’re willing to give up, you should give up too.”

“The FA has been pretty silent for a while. They hadn’t appeared to trouble me and you yet. However, they’re still a very big threat. Father, I promise that I’ll let this go if the condition allows me so. If I can’t, I’ll make sure to erase the FA’s existence, no matter what price I’d need to pay,” declared Xia Lei. His stare was unwavering and determined.

Give up? The man had never once considered that.

If he was destined to leave this world, then he shall get rid of everything that threatened the lives he cherished! He shall create a peaceful world filled with nothing but happiness for everyone he held dear!