“Oh, isn’t this my little ex-boyfriend? Oh, wait, you’re a little sister now.” A charming, melodious female voice drifted from the other end of the phone.
Xu Yinsheng rubbed her nose awkwardly.
Su Yeya was her… she didn’t even know which number ex-girlfriend she was. Her public profession was a bar owner, but in reality, she was an Underworld Big Sister and the Local Snake of Anlin City.
She couldn’t exactly be called an ex-girlfriend; she was more like a half-sister. Back when Xu Yinsheng was traveling everywhere by plane, she had ended up in an Anlin City bar. Under the coaxing of her group of fair-weather friends, she had gone up to flirt. At the start, she had sweetly called her “Sister” with every breath.
Back then, Xu Yinsheng’s looks were very much in their prime—the kind of level where she could make a living just with her face.
Only later did she discover that the woman’s actual identity was a local underworld boss! The Master of the Black Market!! Xu Yinsheng had bolted immediately without even giving a breakup fee.
What she craved was a peaceful, ordinary life, occasionally seasoned with a bit of womanizing, not licking blood from the edge of a blade or living through a hail of bullets.
Who knew if being the little boyfriend or “little brother” of an Underworld Big Sister would lead to being kidnapped by her rivals!
The last time they had been in contact was when Xu Yinsheng paid her to help forge a surgery certificate.
“Ahem, Sister Su, I need your help with something.”
“Go ahead, Xiao Xu-zi. Considering we are both sisters now, I’ll give you half off this time.” Su Yeya’s chuckling voice echoed through the phone.
Xu Yinsheng felt even more embarrassed. “Well, I have a friend who needs a new identity for some reason. The clean kind, and don’t let anyone know.”
“That’s easy enough. 500,000.” Su Yeya pressed her cigarette butt into the ashtray on her desk. “But seeing as we’re sisters now, and you’re an old customer, I’ll round it down to 100,000 for you.”
“That… Sister Su, I also hope to send him over to your side. I was hoping for your protection.”
“What!”
The woman’s voice suddenly rose in pitch, followed by a sigh of helplessness. Su Yeya rested her hand on her forehead.
“Xiao Xu-zi, you know what line of work I’m in. I won’t say it’s constant gunfire, but it’s close enough to licking blood off a blade. You’re sending someone to me? Or did you take an interest in some man recently and plan to eliminate a love rival this way?”
Her tone was half-serious and half-teasing, but it didn’t make the other party feel awkward.
“Sister Su, I’m not asking you to keep him by your side. Just forge an identity for him and find him a job that can keep him fed. Additionally, I hope to use your influence in Anlin City to give him a bit of protection.”
“Oh… then you’ll have to pay more.”
“1,000,000. I’ll pay you over 900,000 first, and he can work off the remaining 100,000 himself and pay you back slowly.”
“Well, well, you’ve grown bold enough to play mind games with me.”
“I wouldn’t dare. I’ll transfer the 1,000,000 to you immediately.”
“Forget it. Let that friend of yours come and work to pay off this 1,000,000 himself.”
Su Yeya laughed. Her pleasant and slightly seductive voice echoed throughout the bar, audible even on the other end of the phone.
“I just wonder which prince or princess it is that could make Xiao Xu-zi move such a big favor.”
The call ended, and Xu Yinsheng pulled her hand back.
She was currently standing on the balcony of the second floor, looking down.
At 10:00 PM, there were no figures left in the residential complex’s park, but the streetlights were still bright. From a distance, they looked like fireflies hidden among the flowers.
Moonlight filtered through the treetops, and a bit of silver glow fell onto her pale palms.
‘A favor?’ she murmured to herself, glancing down at her phone’s darkened screen.
‘Thank you, Sister Su.’
Why did she do this?
Xu Yinsheng didn’t know.
Perhaps it was the pity she felt when she saw the dense needle marks on Bai Xiaoyi’s wrists, or the sympathy that arose when she heard him describe how he had been imprisoned, or perhaps it was the connection between two former playboys who had both experienced tragic fates—fellow sufferers in the same boat.
She turned around and walked back into the house.
Once, Xu Yinsheng had desperately craved for someone to pull her up when she fell into the abyss. She had desperately craved for a savior to rescue her…
Perhaps she wasn’t saving Bai Xiaoyi, but her former self who was powerless against authority.
The sky slowly began to rain. The rain grew heavier and heavier, gradually becoming a downpour.
The pitter-patter of the heavy rain beat against the ground, and the dampness on one’s body was very uncomfortable.
In front of the villa door, there was a row of cabinets with black umbrellas tucked inside, lying there quietly. On the cabinet were two large characters written in regular script.
“Public.”
—
The next day.
While Xu Yinsheng and Bai Xiaoyi were eating breakfast in the living room, she informed him of her plan and asked for his opinion.
Bai Xiaoyi was eating a poached egg. A night of quiet sleep seemed to have improved his mental state significantly. There was a glimmer of life in his eyes, and he wasn’t as tense.
After hearing Xu Yinsheng’s plan, Bai Xiaoyi lowered his head slightly. A few ripples appeared on the surface of the liquid in his bowl. With a slightly red nose, he spoke in a sobbing voice, “Thank you.”
“Don’t bother with thanks; we’re old friends.” Xu Yinsheng took a large, careless bite out of her poached egg. The runny yolk slid down the corner of her mouth toward her chest, making her skin look even fairer and more delicate.
“Live well over there. Don’t think about chasing girls; find a job to support yourself first.”
“Okay.”
After breakfast, Xu Yinsheng took Bai Xiaoyi to the underground garage to get the car. Just as she drove the Maserati out of the garage, they happened to see several trucks with moving company logos driving into the complex.
She drove slowly along the residential road and met an acquaintance from the villa area—a young man in a red jacket with a broad back and a slender waist who was out for a morning run.
“Old Lu,” Xu Yinsheng greeted.
Lu Renjia looked back and smiled, revealing neat, white teeth. “Sister Xu, morning.”
As mentioned before, Xu Yinsheng now lived in a high-end residential complex. The residents were either wealthy or influential. They were either second-generation heirs relying on their ancestors’ hard work or successful first-generation individuals making a name for themselves.
Lu Renjia was one of the second-generation heirs. His family was in real estate development.
“You’re quite early, getting up for a morning run.” She handed him a cigarette and then asked, “Is our complex getting new residents again?”
“That’s what the property management said.” Lu Renjia took the lady’s cigarette but didn’t light it, tucking it into his pocket instead. “The house the new resident chose is the empty villa right next to yours, Sister Xu.”
“That bold?” Xu Yinsheng raised an eyebrow in surprise, looking at Lu Renjia as he jogged slowly. “I’ll have to pay a visit another day, then.”
The villa next to hers had been empty all this time. Word was that it used to be where a wealthy businessman kept his mistress, but later something happened, and both the mistress and the businessman died. Their deaths were reportedly quite gruesome.
Xu Yinsheng had liked that villa at first, but for the sake of a lucky start to her new life, she had given it up and chosen her current one instead.
“Alright, I won’t say more. I have things to do.”
“Yeah, see you later.”
With that, Xu Yinsheng stepped on the gas. The silver Maserati, like a shark breaking through the water’s surface, streaked across the sky in the morning sun and sped away.