Chapter 181: Xiao Bai, You’re an Undercover Too
It wasn’t until Su Mobai was carried back by her brother, treated and bandaged by the family doctor, and guarded day and night by her brother—who neither ate nor drank—that the two siblings still hadn’t exchanged a single word.
Yan Man regretted it. Deeply. She shouldn’t have acted on impulse and run away from home. As a result, she’d been kidnapped by enemies, gotten Xiao Bai seriously injured, and even caused A-Fa—who’d gone with A-Hei to save her—to lose his life.
Overwhelming guilt and remorse left her with no mind for romantic feelings anymore. If she could, she wished she’d never met Ji He.
Creak. Yan Man heard the door open. She sprang to her feet and looked up, finally seeing her brother step out of that room.
She wanted to go over, but her legs felt so heavy she couldn’t take a single step.
“Brother,” Yan Man called softly.
Only then did Yan Luo’s gaze fall on her—just for a moment before it slid away again. That glance was cold and filled with disgust.
Yan Man staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Yan Luo walked up to her and looked down coldly. “Yan Man, I regret adopting you. Fortunately, Xiao Bai is fine. Otherwise… I would’ve had you pay with your life.”
His voice was light and calm, yet Yan Man burst into terrified sobs. “Brother, I know I was wrong—truly wrong!”
“In my world, there’s no such thing as ‘knowing your mistake is enough.’ Some mistakes require a price.” Yan Luo reached out and patted her head, saying flatly, “Manman, wouldn’t it be better to be an obedient sister? Why be so willful?”
Yan Man trembled uncontrollably. Those gentle words scared her. “Brother, from now on I’ll listen to everything you say. I’ll be sensible.”
Suddenly, the pressure eased a little.
Yan Luo left. Before going, he tossed out coldly, “Wipe your tears. Xiao Bai is awake. Don’t let him see you like this.”
Yan Man sniffed. Only after her brother walked away did she slowly straighten up, her legs still shaking.
She suspected that if it weren’t for the fact that Xiao Bai liked her, her brother might have kicked her out of the Yan family.
The thought sent chills through her body. She was an orphan with nowhere to go—her brother was her only family. If even he didn’t want her, she might as well die.
After this incident, Yan Luo treated Nan Xun like a porcelain doll—he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere. Even when Yan Luo went to inspect his territories, he no longer brought Nan Xun along. Faced with such domineering protection, Nan Xun felt both happy and worried.
Little Eight said Yan Luo’s malice value had dropped again—down to 50 now.
Over the next half year, Yan Man went to school as usual, acting as if nothing had happened. She never mentioned Ji He again.
If not for Little Eight, Nan Xun—so cut off from the outside world—wouldn’t even have known that everything out there had changed.
“Manman,” Nan Xun suddenly called out.
Yan Man looked at him, puzzled.
“Today I’m going to see Second Brother. Do you want to—”
Before he could finish, Yan Man shook her head quickly. “It was always my one-sided wish. He didn’t even know my real identity. In his eyes, I was probably just a bar hostess. Xiao Bai, I was wrong. For an uncertain relationship, I almost got you…”
On the day Yan Luo held a welcome banquet for Ji He, Yan Man had secretly slipped into the bar. Ji He mistook her for a hostess and dragged her to bed. That was how their ill-fated bond began—and now, it was over.
Nan Xun pinched her nose. “It’s all in the past. And I’m fine now, aren’t I?”
Yan Man hugged him tightly. “Xiao Bai, you’re really good.”
Nan Xun sighed softly. Yan Man seemed to have grown up overnight—from a willful girl into someone sensible. Being forced to grow up felt awful, but at least she had survived.
After getting Yan Luo’s approval, Nan Xun went to Ji He’s territory, accompanied by four bodyguards Yan Luo had arranged.
When Nan Xun arrived, Ji He was drinking in one of the bars under his control, an arm around a woman.
The man before him looked just like he remembered. In fact, Ji He had been right—between Yan Luo and Ji He, Nan Xun would choose Yan Luo without hesitation.
“Xiao Bai, Second Brother wanted to visit you, but couldn’t get away. Besides, Yan Luo probably wouldn’t want me seeing you,” Ji He said with a faint smile. “It’s good to see you’re okay.”
Nan Xun smiled back, his dark eyes fixed on him. “I heard there’s been a traitor in the gang lately. Li Datou’s shipment got seized by the police, and not long ago, the underground casinos and vice dens under Zhou He were all shut down. Both of them are in prison now. Second Brother is my brother’s trusted aide, busy hunting the traitor—of course you wouldn’t have time to see me.”
Hearing the implication, Ji He’s expression didn’t change. He simply handed Nan Xun a drink. “Xiao Bai, have a couple of drinks with Second Brother.”
Ji He dismissed the hostess, leaving just the two of them in the private room.
Nan Xun took the glass, drained it in one gulp, then set it down with a bang. “Second Brother, dare to play truth or dare with me?”
Ji He looked at him quietly. A murky light flickered in those world-weary eyes. “If you have something to ask, just ask. Second Brother will tell you.”
Nan Xun forced a smile that didn’t look good at all. He asked bluntly, “Second Brother, tell me honestly—are you the traitor?”
Ji He’s hand paused slightly. He downed a glass of wine and didn’t answer.
Nan Xun’s gaze dropped to Ji He’s right hand gripping the glass—covered in knife scars, even along the sides of his fingers.
“What are those scars hiding?” Nan Xun pressed, not letting up. “Calluses from firearms training? Second Brother, are you… a police undercover?”
Ji He set his glass down and looked at him with some surprise, then said something that completely broke Nan Xun’s composure. “Xiao Bai, no need to put on an act in front of me. I know—you’re an undercover too. Captain Zhao sent you.”
Nan Xun nearly spat blood.
Those two words—Captain Zhao—were his nightmare. His nightmare. He never imagined hearing them from Ji He’s mouth.
“Second Brother, what are you talking about? I don’t understand,” Nan Xun denied flatly.
Ji He said, “I’ve already contacted my superiors. They told me Captain Zhao sent you in as an undercover agent. I remember him—when I graduated from the police academy, he had just become the captain of the city bureau’s special task unit.”
Nan Xun: …
Ji He continued, “He’s a workaholic—he can go days without eating or sleeping to catch criminals. I just didn’t expect that to take down Yan Luo, he’d dare send in a green kid with zero foundation as an undercover. And yet, by sheer accident, he pulled it off.”
At this point, he looked at Nan Xun with a complicated expression. “Xiao Bai, no one is closer to Yan Luo than you. To get his core criminal evidence, only you can do it.”
Nan Xun shot to his feet, his face icy. “So you deliberately approached me and Yan Luo from the start—not to get out of prison, but to earn Yan Luo’s trust?”
Ji He didn’t answer directly, meeting Nan Xun’s gaze with deep, dark eyes. “Xiao Bai… have you fallen in?”
Nan Xun rolled his eyes internally. Fallen my ass. From the very beginning, I never truly planned on being an undercover agent at all.
