He Feng stood up holding the watermelon. Being tall, standing on the stairs he nearly touched the ceiling. He walked down, saying in a low voice, “It wasn’t easy to climb up carrying these.”

Xie Chi stepped forward. “When did you arrive?”

He Feng answered without thinking, “Forty-two minutes ago, now forty-three.”

Xie Chi laughed. “You remember so clearly.”

He Feng lowered his head and bumped her forehead with his nose. “In this line of work, how can you manage without being sensitive to time?”

“Working in this line and being so careless about secrecy, sitting here so brazenly.” Xie Chi tapped the melon in his arms. “Weren’t you afraid Fujita would see you when he escorted me upstairs?”

“That’s easy to handle – listen for footsteps, and if there are two people, hide.” He hefted the watermelon. “Won’t you let me into the house?”

Xie Chi wanted to help him carry one, but He Feng dodged away. “Heavy. You go open the door.”

“Keep it quiet, they’re asleep.”

“Mm.”

Xie Chi opened the door and motioned for He Feng to take the watermelons to the kitchen.

He went in quietly without turning on lights, found a knife and cut one watermelon in half. Xie Chi casually set down the cake and came looking for him, hugging his waist from behind. “Where did you buy these?”

“After running around to several shops I found them, but I couldn’t find any lychees.”

Xie Chi nuzzled his back. “Thank you.”

He Feng’s lips curved up. “Getting all polite with me now.” He reached out to grab a spoon and stuck it in the melon. “After carrying it so long, it’s not very cold anymore. Let’s just eat it directly.”

Xie Chi’s fingers climbed up his arm. “Do you know what you looked like sitting there just now?”

He Feng turned his head. “What?”

“A hen brooding on eggs.”

“How did I become a hen?” He Feng turned around. “At least I’m a mighty and powerful rooster.”

Xie Chi laughed despite herself, pressing her fingertip against his Adam’s apple. “You do look quite like one.”

He Feng lifted half the watermelon with one hand, scooped out a large piece from the very center and brought it to her mouth. “Come on, open up.”

“Too big, it won’t fit.”

“Bite.”

Xie Chi took a big bite. Sweet juice flowed into her mouth. She happily closed her eyes and tugged at his sleeve, twisting back and forth.

He Feng laughed. “Look how greedy you are.”

Xie Chi tugged at his sleeve and opened her mouth again. He Feng carefully fed her the remaining half-piece on the spoon. “Is it sweet?”

“You eat some too.”

“I won’t compete with you for food.” He Feng scooped out another spoonful and held it by her mouth. “Come on.”

Xie Chi pushed his hand away and kissed his lips.

He Feng took the opportunity to suck on her lips, his hot, wet tongue probing deeper, taking away the sweetness between her lips and teeth. Xie Chi was pressed back until her upper body leaned backward, having to wrap her arms around his neck to support her body.

He Feng supported her lower back with one hand while holding the bright red watermelon with the other. His hands were so wide and long that this large half-sphere looked like a delicate little toy in his grasp.

His kissing technique had improved considerably, making the woman in his arms go weak all over. Xie Chi half-opened her eyes only to discover He Feng was also watching her. She pushed him away. “What are you doing?”

He Feng laughed and obediently answered, “I’m kissing you.”

Xie Chi bit down hard on his chin. “Is it sweet?”

“Not as sweet as you.”

Xie Chi took the watermelon from his hands. “Let’s go to the room, it’s tiring standing here.” She didn’t let He Feng feed her anymore, instead holding the watermelon herself and sitting on the bedside scooping out pieces to eat.

He Feng sat by the table, casually picking up one of her books to flip through. “Happy birthday.”

At this sudden remark, Xie Chi stopped eating and looked at him with the spoon in her mouth. “The gift is just two watermelons?”

“I can see you really like them.” He Feng looked over at her. “You’re happier than if I’d given you two golden eggs.”

Xie Chi stopped responding and continued eating the melon with a smile.

“Eat less. This stuff is cooling in nature – don’t give yourself a stomachache.”

“Mm.”

“What did the little devil give you?”

“Earrings.”

“He originally wanted to give you a ring, a very big one. I talked him out of it.” He Feng drew in a light breath. “It was equivalent to five or six of the ones I gave you.”

Xie Chi laughed.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Are you feeling insecure?”

“Ha.” He Feng tossed aside the book and sat beside her. “I never feel insecure. Different stages call for different gifts. Back then I gave you gold, silver, pearls and jade.” He suddenly stopped talking and lay back, pillowing his head on his arms to look at the ceiling. “Forget it. A good man doesn’t boast about past heroics.”

Xie Chi held up the watermelon and took two more big bites, then placed it on the table by the wall. She wiped her hands, pushed aside the small sofa to the left of the window, knelt on the floor and lifted up two floorboards.

He Feng raised himself slightly, propping up on his hands to watch her. “What treasure have you hidden?”

Xie Chi didn’t answer, taking out a small box from the hollow space under the floorboards and bringing it to the bedside to open. Inside were several small boxes and photographs – all her most precious things.

He Feng saw the ring box he’d given her a few days ago and laughed. “Hidden so deep.”

Xie Chi’s purpose wasn’t this. She took out another small black box and gave it to He Feng.

He opened it to see a purple pearl lying on the soft box lining. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “The one I gave you back then?”

“Mm.”

“You kept it all these years.”

“Mm.”

He Feng picked it up and looked at it carefully, murmuring the word “pearl.”

“Too bad the gun you gave me is gone. At that time when I went up the mountain and couldn’t find you, I was so exhausted going back down that I fainted. When I woke up again, everything I’d had with me before was stolen.”

“My A’Zhi loves me so much.”

“It’s just a memento.”

“You thought I was dead.”

“Mm.”

“You’ve been widowed for me all this time?”

Xie Chi gave him a look. “Who would be widowed for you?”

“You still won’t admit it.” He Feng put the pearl back in the box and carefully closed it. “Anyway, you’ll never love another man again.”

“Who says I won’t?”

“I say so.” He looked up at Xie Chi. “What would you do if I really died someday?”

Xie Chi kept her eyes down as she organized the box. “You can go ahead and die without worry. I’ll find someone else, get married, have children, and grow old together with him.”

He Feng snorted with laughter. “Then lie beside him every deep night thinking of me until you go crazy.”

Xie Chi couldn’t argue with him anymore.

“I don’t believe there’ll be a second man you’d willingly submit to beneath, or a second man who could make you cry out in ecstasy, so satisfied you can’t get out of bed.”

Xie Chi covered his mouth. “Getting more excited as you talk.”

“Don’t get handsy with me. I’m not interested in fighting with you.” He Feng pulled her hand away and continued looking at the things in the small box. At the bottom were several photographs. “May I look?”

“Yes.”

“They don’t involve your organization’s business, do they?”

“They’re all photos of relatives and friends.”

He Feng carefully picked them up. The first was an elderly man in a long robe sitting in an antique room. “This is your grandfather?”

“Mm.” Xie Chi leaned her head against his shoulder. “This was when he was fifty-six.”

“You really resemble him.”

“Grandparent and grandchild, of course we’re alike.”

He Feng flipped to the next one – it was of Xiao Wangyun. Looking at the elegant young gentleman in the photo, he remembered Meng Yuan holding his severed head, and his mood, which had finally improved, turned sour again. “Four-eyes.”

“His name was Xiao Wangyun.”

He Feng’s mouth twitched slightly. “I know.”

He flipped to the next one, a group photo. He Feng recognized Xie Ci. “This is your family?”

“The Xie family. I’ve already been thrown out.” Xie Chi looked at the faces that had long become unfamiliar – a few sisters, a few brothers, Xie Jiaxing, two concubines, and some younger generation she’d never met. Only she was missing. This was a photo Xie Ci had brought when he came to see her in Nanjing last time. Though there were no feelings involved, she had never been able to throw it away, so she’d kept it and brought it here.

“Your father really is stubborn. Back then I was so angry I nearly shot him.”

Xie Chi was made to laugh by him. “It’s good you didn’t make him die of anger. When he found out I’d been defiled by you, he nearly skinned me alive.”

“Defiled?”

“Loved, loved.”

“That’s more like it.” He Feng continued flipping. “Who’s this?”

“Ninth sister.”

He Feng stared fixedly at the little girl in the photo, his expression unchanged, but feeling guilty inside.

Xie Chi sensed his gravity. “I told you before, Ninth Sister and I had no feelings for each other. I keep this here only to remind myself that I must be strong in order to have the ability to protect those around me.”

“I didn’t manage my subordinates well.” He Feng put aside the photo. “There’s no use talking about it more. It’s in the past.”

Having flipped through all the photos, none were of him.

“Where am I?”

“I don’t have any photos of you.”

He Feng pulled out that torn and damaged group photo from his chest and placed it on top of the stack of photos. “Now you do.”

“You’re willing to give it to me?”

“I’d give you my life.”

Xie Chi stacked the photos neatly and put them away. He Feng took out a piece of blue cloth. “What’s this?”

Xie Chi tried to snatch it, but He Feng quickly dodged. “What shameful thing is it?”

Xie Chi withdrew her hand and raised an eyebrow. “It really is something shameful.”

He Feng unwrapped the cloth to reveal several strands of hair. He picked up one strand. “Mine?”

“No, mine.”

He Feng immediately plucked one of her hairs. Xie Chi covered her head. “Ow.”

He shook the long hair, comparing it to the short strand and laughing at her. “Say again that it’s yours?” He Feng counted the hairs – there were six. “Are you perverted? What are you collecting hair for?”

“You came three times. The first time you dropped two strands, the second time one strand, the third time three strands. I had to clean them up, but not knowing where to throw them, I just kept them.”

He Feng laughed helplessly, wrapping the hair he’d just plucked from her together with his own six strands back in the cloth. “This counts as binding our hair together.”

Xie Chi put the small box back in its place and sat on the bedside holding the watermelon. When he wasn’t paying attention, she scooped out a spoonful of watermelon and stuffed it by his mouth. Bright red juice flowed down the corner of his mouth. She leaned down to lick it off, her tongue sliding over his stubble, both numb and prickly. “You should shave.”

He Feng swallowed the watermelon and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You help me.”

“Are you staying tonight?”

“I’m living with Luo Lingshu. I can’t stay out all night.”

“All right.” Xie Chi put down the watermelon and moved to unbutton his clothes.

He Feng grasped her wrist. “Rest early. You came back so late from playing – I won’t tire you out.”

Xie Chi lay on top of him, staring into his eyes. “Why do I smell vinegar?”

He Feng smiled lazily. “Just noticing it now?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Say sorry again and I’ll beat you.” He slipped his hand inside the clothes on her back, stroking her tender skin. “Why is your body so hot?”

“I don’t know.” She also reached toward his waist. “You’re even hotter.”

“Keep touching me and I won’t be able to go back.”

Xie Chi explored higher. “Then don’t leave.”

He Feng was about to lift her up and pull down her clothes when the wardrobe suddenly made a noise. He Feng immediately became alert and got up, casually grabbing a chair and walking over.

Xie Chi looked toward the wardrobe. “Who is it?”

He Feng opened the wardrobe door to see Guoqiang curled up among a pile of clothes, sucking his finger and looking at them.

Xie Chi lifted him out. “How did you end up hiding in here?”

Guoqiang didn’t speak, as if he’d just woken up.

He Feng put down the chair. He knew Xie Chi had adopted a son named Guoqiang.

Xie Chi frowned sternly. “Guoqiang, you can’t tell anyone what you saw tonight, understand?”

Guoqiang nodded obediently.

He Feng got up and went out. Xie Chi quickly called after him. “Are you leaving?”

“No, wait a moment.” He went to the kitchen and came back with a small bowl, using the spoon to scoop a small bowl of watermelon and crouching in front of Guoqiang. “Little friend, eat some watermelon.”

Guoqiang was somewhat afraid but also quite tempted. He looked at Xie Chi, and only after she nodded did he step forward. He Feng lifted the spoon to feed him. “Come on, open your mouth.”

Guoqiang opened his mouth and happily swallowed the sweet watermelon, smiling shyly at him.

“Is it good?”

“Good.”

He Feng fed him another spoonful and said gently, “Uncle sells watermelons. Your godmother is a greedy ghost who secretly buys watermelons from uncle and hides in her room to eat them. Now Guoqiang has discovered this. If you tell other people, uncle won’t bring watermelons anymore and you’ll never be able to eat them again. So you can’t tell anyone, including your mother, okay?”

Guoqiang obediently made an “mm” sound.

He Feng smiled and patted his head. “Such a good boy.”

Xie Chi was still somewhat worried. A child’s promise couldn’t be trusted – what if he let something slip someday? In front of A’Ru and the others would be fine, but she was afraid it might happen in front of Fujita. She sat on the bedside watching He Feng feed the child. As she watched, her melancholy gradually disappeared, replaced by a warm feeling rising in her heart.

Small children want to sleep when they’re full. He Feng carried him to Xie Chi’s side. “What do we do? Where should I put him?”

Xie Chi pulled back the covers. He Feng carefully laid Guoqiang down and tucked him in, then crouched by the bed to look at him. “How old is he?”

“A little over two.”

“Two years old is so small.”

“Were you very big when you were two?”

“I don’t remember.” He touched Guoqiang’s upturned little lips and couldn’t help smiling. “I have to go. You should sleep early too.”

“All right.”

He Feng got up to leave. Xie Chi saw him to the door. There were no clingy farewell words, just: “Be careful.”

“You too.”

…

Old Ji had also been transferred to Shanghai to cooperate with He Feng, establishing a new small group with a new codebook and new radio operator. Old Ji was He Feng’s only contact. Apart from him, no one knew He Feng’s identity, including the radio operator, who only knew he was deeply embedded within the Japanese army with the code name “Flower Blue.”

Because of Luo Lingshu and Koike Ryoji’s sudden arrival, He Feng had to abandon all his connections in Nanjing and rebuild new relationships here. Fortunately, with his status, whether courting Japanese devils or traitors, it wasn’t difficult.

Shanghai’s danger level was no less than Nanjing’s, especially the Number 76 Special Action Unit. Having been established earlier, it was much more mature than Nanjing District’s Number 22. It seemed like you could encounter Wang puppet agents anywhere on the street. Informants were distributed everywhere, monitoring all suspicious personnel.

In ten days, He Feng and Xie Chi met only once. Both were busy with affairs and had no chance for romance. That one meeting was when Fujita Kiyono brought her to a birthday party. They couldn’t even exchange many words before hurriedly parting again with just a glance.

The Koike family’s influence in Shanghai quickly expanded. Not only did they have Koike Ryoji and Luo Lingshu holding down the fort, but He Feng was also making friends vigorously outside. Being a tall tree already attracted wind, and now they drew even more attention from Communist Party, Military Statistics Bureau and other underground parties.

Jiang Shouyue’s first stop in Shanghai was Xie Chi’s cheongsam shop. Under the pretense of selecting fabric and taking measurements, she chatted briefly with her before hurriedly leaving. Regarding her purpose for coming, Xie Chi hadn’t had time to ask – it was probably some elimination or transport mission.

The next day at noon, Jiang Shouyue came again, but didn’t encounter Xie Chi, who had been called out to lunch by Fujita Kiyono. When Xie Chi returned, Jiang Shouyue had already left.

In the evening, Zhang Ya returned from outside. There were customers in the shop, so it wasn’t convenient to talk. After they left, he motioned for Xie Chi to go upstairs and said in a low voice, “Bai Shu came at noon and took away a formal dress. In the afternoon she had me take her to get two guns.”

“To ambush at a banquet?”

“Yes.”

“Did she say what the mission was?”

“Assassinate several Japanese economic officials. I didn’t ask specifically who, since we’re not in the same group – it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask too much.”

Xie Chi stopped what she was doing. Japanese economic officials – at this moment, she could only think of He Feng.

“What time? Where?”

“Don’t know the time. Seems to be at the Paramount, probably starting soon.”

Xie Chi rushed downstairs in panic.

“Where are you going?”

Xie Chi didn’t answer, flagging down a rickshaw and urging the driver to hurry.

The Paramount had been rented out privately. You couldn’t get in without an invitation, and over a dozen Special Action Unit agents guarded the entrance. Xie Chi was blocked outside until a squad leader came over and recognized her, then let her through.

The guests were like clouds, with red sleeves and emerald dancers swirling about. Xie Chi’s eyes nearly went dizzy from all the circling. She searched from the first floor to the second floor and finally saw Jiang Shouyue talking with He Feng by a window.

This position – was she planning a sniper attack?

Xie Chi rushed over recklessly and blocked him with her body.

The sniper on a distant building was already in position. Just as he aimed and was about to shoot, suddenly a woman rushed over. He paused and aimed at He Feng’s head again.

Jiang Shouyue saw her and clutched her bag tightly, stammering nervously.

With so many people watching, He Feng’s heart tightened, but he kept his expression relaxed. “Is something wrong?”

Xie Chi pushed him aside. “Get away.”

…