13: Chapter 13 A dagger pierced Xu Jiang's security door.

Zhao Yang picked up a stack of bills and weighed them in his hand. "You're a friend worth making. I'll be staying in Jinghai for a while; prepare a motorcycle for me to make getting around more convenient."

Xu Jiang snapped his fingers. "No problem!"

Zhao Yang stood up and said as he walked out, "Have the bike ready; I'm taking that girl Sisi out for a ride. As for the matter with Meng Dehai, wait for my word—three days at the latest."

Once he stepped out, Xu Jiang slammed the table. "Fuck! What's his deal? He's acting even more arrogant than me!"

Feng Lvzi pointed at the money on the table. "Boss, does he not want this anymore?"

Xu Jiang slapped him. "Are you fucking stupid? Get a decent bag, pack it up for him, and deliver it. Hurry up and get a motorcycle, a good one!"

"Yes, Boss!" Feng Lvzi hurried outside. As he reached the door, he saw the dagger embedded in it and kindly tried to pull it out. But upon closer inspection, he jumped in fright. "Boss, look!"

"What are you screaming for? Look at what?" Xu Jiang leaned over, and his whole body instantly stiffened. He exchanged a look with Feng Lvzi, both showing expressions of lingering fear.

Only the hilt of the dagger remained visible; the blade had completely pierced through the entire door. This was a security door, reinforced with steel plating.

Xu Jiang swallowed hard and patted Feng Lvzi on the shoulder. "While he's in Jinghai, serve him well! Whatever you do, don't provoke him. This man is very useful!"

...

Soon, Feng Lvzi handed a set of motorcycle keys to Zhao Yang, along with the bag containing the money.

Zhao Yang then grabbed Sisi, gave a casual greeting to the group of lowlifes, and pulled her away from the Platinum Palace.

Xu Jiang was fairly generous, having prepared a Suzuki 'Bandit' 1200 for him; in these times, its price was nearly a hundred thousand yuan.

He straddled the bike and nodded toward Sisi. "Get on, hold tight. Big brother is taking you for a ride."

Sisi's expression was complicated, but she steeled herself, sat on the back seat of the motorcycle, and wrapped her arms around Zhao Yang's waist.

Vroom, vroom, vroom!

Accompanied by the heavy roar of the engine, the Bandit charged out like a wild horse breaking its tether.

"Ah!" Sisi screamed in terror. "Brother Mo! Slow down! Slow down! Ah!"

Zhao Yang acted as if he hadn't heard and continued to accelerate.

Upstairs, Xu Jiang watched the frantic motorcycle disappear into the darkness of the street and spat. "Not wearing a helmet—he'll have an accident sooner or later!"

He then called Feng Lvzi into his office to discuss the plan against Bai Jiangbo.

...

Meanwhile, An Xin had already escorted Meng Yu to her building. Seeing that she was still sobbing uncontrollably, he couldn't help but comfort her. "Alright, you're home. Don't be afraid."

Meng Yu nodded and turned to walk inside. When she saw the darkness at the entrance of the stairwell, the image of Zhao Yang's chilling Killing Intent surfaced in her mind again. Her composure crumbled once more, and she turned back to run to An Xin, hugging him and sobbing, "You... you come up with me! I'm scared!"

An Xin had been observing Meng Yu along the way and was certain she hadn't suffered any physical harm; she was likely just mentally traumatized. "Alright, I'll go with you."

"Hold me, I'm afraid of the dark."

"Fine!" The two of them shuffled into the building entrance while embracing. An Xin said gently, "We're going upstairs now, open your eyes."

"I won't! It's dark! I'm scared."

"Then how are we going to get up?"

"I don't care, you figure it out!"

An Xin thought for a moment, then steeled himself and picked Meng Yu up in a bridal carry, heading upstairs.

Meng Yu let out a small cry of surprise but still hooked her arms around An Xin's neck.

The voice-activated lights flickered on, and she opened her eyes, staring straight at An Xin.

As their eyes met, An Xin said, "The light is on. You can get down now."

"Are you unable to carry me, or do you just not want to?"

"Neither."

"Then carry me up!" Meng Yu said coquettishly.

"Fine!"

An Xin then walked up the stairs step by step, not forgetting to lower his head and banter with Meng Yu. When he reached their floor and looked up, he found Meng Dehai standing at the front door with a stern expression.

"Get down, get down!" An Xin whispered to Meng Yu. "Your dad..."

"Ah?" Seeing Meng Dehai, Meng Yu quickly scrambled out of An Xin's arms and whispered with a red face, "Dad, I... we..."

An Xin stood up straight, as if reporting for duty. "Uncle Meng, Meng Yu seemed to have been frightened at the Platinum Palace, so I... brought her back."

"Hmm? What happened? Come in and talk!" Meng Dehai let the two into the house, and they sat on the sofa. "Xiao Yu, what happened?"

An Xin added, "Go on, what did you see at the Platinum Palace?"

Looking at the two men she trusted most in her life, Meng Yu finally recounted how she had stood up for a friend who was being harassed, only to be harassed herself by Camel and his group, and then encountered that devilish man.

After she finished, she took several gulps of water and said, "Dad, I've never seen such a terrifying person. He's scarier than the psychopathic killers in movies! You have to investigate him! That man is definitely a criminal, he's probably killed people!"

An Xin listened with a serious expression. "Uncle Meng, if what Xiao Yu says is true, we should look into the Platinum Palace, shouldn't we? It just so happens I have leads pointing there as well."

Meng Dehai was silent for a moment, then looked at Meng Yu. "From your perspective, was that man's behavior an act of chivalry?"

Meng Yu shook her head. "He started beating them as soon as he arrived, hitting them with lethal intent without saying a word. It didn't seem like chivalry; it felt... it felt like a vendetta. You don't know, his eyes were bloodshot, just like a wild beast's."

"I see..." Meng Dehai nodded. "Xiao Yu, go wash up first. Your face is a mess."

Meng Yu picked up a makeup mirror, took one look, and quickly stood up to go to the bathroom.

Meng Dehai then said to An Xin, "Do not investigate the Platinum Palace. The person Xiao Yu encountered is likely one of our own. Do not look into this matter further, so as not to interfere with a comrade's work."

An Xin was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized. "Uncle Meng, you mean..."

Meng Dehai made a shushing gesture and whispered, "If Xiao Yu asks later, just tell her you investigated and the man has already left Jinghai. Xiao Yu was frightened and is quite dependent on you right now; spend more time with her lately. Do you understand?"

The words had a double meaning, making An Xin's heart race. He quickly agreed, "Alright, Uncle Meng."

At that moment, Meng Yu finished cleaning up and returned to the living room.

Meng Dehai stood up and said, "It's getting late. I'm going to rest. You two chat."

Only the two of them remained in the room. An Xin couldn't help but ask, "Where is Aunt Cui?"

"My mom went to help Director Li at the neighborhood office. It got too late, so she's staying there for the night."

"Oh... I see." An Xin rubbed his hands. "By the way, I'm off tomorrow. Want to go see a movie?"

"No! Just a movie is boring!"

"Oh... then we'll go to the amusement park in the morning, go shopping in the afternoon, and see a movie in the evening."

Meng Yu's eyes lit up. "An Xin, you've really thought this through! What are you really up to?"

An Xin rubbed his hands and hesitated for a long while before saying, "When I was carrying you upstairs just now, I thought... if I could carry you like this for the rest of my life, how wonderful that would be."

Meng Yu stared at An Xin, her eyes flickering with surprise before turning into tenderness. Zhao Yang's scare had acted as a catalyst, directly accelerating the slow-moving relationship of these childhood sweethearts. Meng Yu bit her lip. "Then you have to be very good to me, otherwise I won't let you hold me."

"I will definitely be good to you... for a lifetime."

...

In a suite at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Jinghai City.

Zhao Yang sat before Sisi with a grim expression. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly frowned.

A System prompt rang in his consciousness.

[The host's actions have changed Meng Yu's fate and facilitated her romance with An Xin. Significant plot change detected. Gained 2 General Attribute Points.]