When Xiao Chen returned to the villa, the living room lights were still on.
Su Xiaomeng was curled up on the sofa watching Descendants of the Moon, though she was clearly distracted, glancing toward the door every so often.
The moment she heard the Maserati engine, her eyes lit up. She turned to look outside, then quickly pretended to focus on the TV again.
A few minutes later, Xiao Chen came in carrying a black plastic bag—inside was the "trophy" he brought back for the night: a pistol.
Seeing Xiaomeng on the sofa, he thought about how distant she'd been recently and took the initiative to greet her.
"Not asleep yet? Where's your sister?"
"My sister's working upstairs." She turned her head, studying him. "Where did you go?"
"I bumped into a couple of friends. Were you waiting for me?"
"Who's waiting for you? I'm watching TV. I do have something to tell you though."
Xiao Chen laughed. She was still just a kid.
"Alright, tell me."
Instead of speaking, she hopped off the sofa and ran over barefoot, circling him while inspecting him carefully.
She couldn't help shaking her head—no way her sister would fall for this guy. He might be decent-looking, but nothing else about him met the standard of the "perfect brother-in-law" she imagined.
And worst of all, who jokes so shamelessly with his future sister-in-law?
No, even if her sister was interested in him, Xiaomeng was determined to sabotage it. Only the best man in the world was worthy of her sister—Xiao Chen, in her eyes, was a warped tree with no real use.
Still, she eyed him nervously, trying to see if there were any traces of blood. She had checked before he entered and didn't notice anything… but still.
"What are you staring at?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Nothing. You… smell weird."
Her nose wrinkled.
Xiao Chen stiffened—she really did have a good sense of smell. He wasn't covered in blood, but the faint scent was still there.
"Probably sweat from the heat. I'll go take a shower first."
"Wait, I need to tell you—Yin He agreed to race on Sunday night." She lowered her voice, glancing upstairs.
"Got it."
"Don't underestimate him. He's bringing his cousin this time, one of Long Hai's underground racing kings."
"Didn't I tell you? His cousin is nothing. I can beat him too."
"Hmph. If you lose, I won't talk to you anymore… I mean… I'll kick you out!"
"Fine. If I lose, I'll leave myself." Xiao Chen smiled. "Anything else? If not, I'll shower."
"It's not like I'm dying to chat with you!" She rolled her eyes and returned to the sofa.
As soon as Xiao Chen went into his room and closed the door, Xiaomeng peeked toward it, thinking about the black bag. What was inside?
Surely not… an inflatable doll?
She shook her head hard—why was she thinking such dirty things?
Even so, when she looked at the soldier on TV, she couldn't help comparing. Xiao Chen, in a uniform… would he look better?
She didn't want to admit it, but the uniformed Xiao Chen in her imagination was indeed more handsome than the actor on screen.
---
After showering, Xiao Chen examined the pistol.
"All black-market trash," he muttered, disappointed. Still, the number of guns Huang Xing's men possessed was surprising.
If a small hall of the Flying Eagle Gang had so many firearms, how many did the entire gang have? And Flying Eagle was only second-tier among Long Hai's underworld forces… The total number of guns circulating in the city must be staggering.
"The gun ban means nothing. Where there's demand, there's a market…" he sighed, put the pistol back into the bag, hid it under the bed, turned off the light, and soon fell asleep.
---
The next morning, Xiao Chen woke early, made breakfast, and waited.
The sisters finally came down more than half an hour later.
"Sorry, I overslept," Su Qing said apologetically.
"It's fine. I'll heat breakfast."
They sat down to eat.
"Xiaomeng, going out today? If you do, let Xiao Chen go with you—it's too chaotic outside lately."
"I'm not going out."
"Then… maybe Xiao Chen should stay home with you."
"What?" Xiaomeng stared.
"I'm worried about you being alone."
"I don't need him here," she muttered.
Xiao Chen stepped in: "Su Qing, Tulip Villa's security is good. She'll be safe at home."
Since both agreed, Su Qing dropped the idea.
After breakfast, they left for the company.
Xiao Chen stopped by a nearby bank, withdrew 40,000 yuan, and put the cash into two plastic bags.
On his way back, he ran into Ding Li, who had dark circles under his eyes.
"Didn't sleep well?" Xiao Chen joked.
"When I close my eyes, all I see is blood… Brother Chen, will the man I chopped yesterday come after me?"
Xiao Chen teased him about fleeing overseas, then led him to the office.
He tossed a plastic bag to Ding Li.
Inside were stacks of money.
"The money's for you."
Ding Li froze. "For me?"
"Yes. We got 200,000 from Huang Xing last night. You get 20,000—it's your shock fee."
Ding Li panicked. "I can't take it. I didn't help much, I dragged you down!"
Xiao Chen saw the sincerity and appreciated it.
"Switchblades cost money. Instant noodles cost money. Take it."
Ding Li still refused, until Xiao Chen's face darkened and he barked, "If you don't take it, get out. I don't have a brother like you."
Moved, Ding Li's eyes reddened.
"I'll take it… but 20,000 is too much. I'll keep 10,000 and give 10,000 to Dahan. His mother is still in the hospital."
Xiao Chen thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
Ding Li split the money, placing half into another bag.
"I'll visit the hospital later. Are you going?"
"I'm going now," Xiao Ch
en said.
"Thank you, Brother Chen."
"We're brothers. No need for thanks."
And with that, Xiao Chen walked out, plastic bag in hand.