The next morning, while it was still pitch dark, You Mingxu was already up. She could hear water running in Luo Yu’s master bedroom.

After getting ready, she glanced at the nail polish on her hands—something she normally never wore. After some thought, she took out her makeup bag, applied light makeup, and put on the necklace Luo Yu had given her.

Jing Ping and the others had already examined the necklace; it was just an ordinary piece of jewelry, nothing suspicious.

This way, the nail polish wouldn’t stand out.

You Mingxu left the bathroom just as Luo Yu emerged with his travel bag. Seeing her, he paused, his gaze lingering meaningfully on the necklace as he smiled.

After a year of dealing with psychologically disturbed individuals, You Mingxu could read the twisted undertones in Luo Yu’s smile—in his mind, wearing his necklace meant she was marked as his.

No different from Yin Feng suddenly pulling aside her collar last night and leaving a deep mark on her shoulder, though she’d subsequently grabbed his neck and tossed him aside.

They all thought too highly of themselves.

The doorbell rang, and Luo Yu answered it to find several of his men had come to pick them up. He handed them his luggage, and You Mingxu returned to her room for her bag, with Luo Yu following.

“Don’t bring it,” Luo Yu said. “Just pack a few changes of clothes in my bag. Anything else will be torn apart during inspection. Think about it.”

You Mingxu’s hand froze. Almost all the police tracking and listening devices were in her luggage.

Should she risk it?

She suddenly remembered dining with Luo Yu when he’d immediately noticed something unusual about her watch. For some reason, You Mingxu had a feeling that if she brought any devices, they’d likely be discovered. Then this trip would be over before it began.

After a moment’s consideration, she took out only her change of clothes. Luo Yu took them, carefully examined each item, and carried them away.

They drove directly to the designated departure point.

It was near a highway entrance. You Mingxu knew they would try to mislead the police, initially taking the highway openly before switching routes somewhere along the way.

Several cars were already parked in the wild grass beside the highway. It was still dark, with only a bluish pre-dawn light. A few people were leaning against their cars smoking; You Mingxu recognized Huang Long and Guo Feirong. The Xing father and son were nowhere to be seen. The police would have loved for them to participate, but they’d been cautious these past few years.

Luo Yu said, “Stay here, don’t move.”

You Mingxu remained in the car.

Luo Yu got out and walked toward the others. Huang Long glanced at him, then at the car behind him, his expression changing: “Why did you bring her?”

Guo Feirong’s brows also furrowed.

Luo Yu said, “She knows nothing, and I’ll keep important matters from her. She’s completely loyal to me now, don’t worry.”

Huang Long sneered, lowering his voice: “Bringing a cop? Have you lost your mind? Make her leave immediately!”

Luo Yu remained perfectly calm, lighting a cigarette: “Who’s in charge of this operation? I remember the boss put me in charge, and you two are to follow my arrangements. Who comes and who doesn’t is my decision.”

Huang Long was nearly apoplectic with rage and said coldly: “I don’t believe the boss would let you act so recklessly. Don’t let this female cop get us all killed!” He pulled out his phone to call Xing Jifu.

Luo Yu leisurely smoked his cigarette, letting him make the call.

After speaking briefly with Xing Jifu, Huang Long handed the phone to Luo Yu with a schadenfreude smile: “The boss wants to talk to you.”

Luo Yu took the phone and walked aside: “Boss.”

“Send her back,” Xing Jifu’s voice was deep, his emotions unreadable.

Luo Yu said: “I want to bring her. I know what I’m doing.” He looked up at the grey sky: “Boss, you said it yourself—either soar higher than her or hold her wings so she can’t fly away. I deliberately let her leak our western route to the police. Everything is under my control; she won’t ruin our plans. She’ll be useful later. After this trip, I’ll make sure she can’t go back, can’t fly away.”

Xing Jifu was silent for a while before saying: “Luo Yu, you’ve known her identity for a while, haven’t you?”

Luo Yu paused for a few seconds before answering: “Not at first. When we were together, I investigated her background and learned her father was unknown, and that her mother had once investigated our Kaiyang Group. That made me suspicious. After spending time with her, I noticed that her personality and looks are quite similar to yours. When you first met and stood together, I was certain.”

Xing Jifu said: “Then you especially shouldn’t bring her.”

Luo Yu said: “Boss, have you considered that the police are investigating us and will eventually dig deeper? Once her identity is exposed, will the police still accept her? She’ll have nowhere to go then, will break ties with you completely, and resent you. Let me handle this now—I’ll find a way to implicate her in our business so she can’t escape. She’s your daughter; she should be on your side. Boss, let me try. I truly love her and can’t let her go. If I mess this up, you can put a bullet in my head. Either way, I won’t let her go.”

The last few sentences were somewhat presumptuous, but surprisingly, after a brief silence, Xing Jifu laughed: “If I had been as ruthless as you back then, she would have grown up by my side instead of being parentless. Fine, I’ll give you this chance. If anything goes wrong, I’ll have your life. Put Alang on.”

Luo Yu tossed the phone to Huang Long and turned to look at You Mingxu in the car, who was staring intently at him. Luo Yu smiled, somewhat triumphant, and mouthed the words: “You’re mine.”

You Mingxu understood and coldly turned away.

As Luo Yu had said, everyone’s luggage was thoroughly searched, even requiring the removal of coats, shoes, and socks. These well-funded and intelligent criminals were highly organized, using handheld detection devices to carefully examine, feel, and scan every item on each person. You Mingxu’s phone was confiscated; except for Luo Yu, Huang Long, and other leaders, no one was allowed to keep their phones.

Finally, the convoy departed. You Mingxu rode with Luo Yu, with two of his trusted men in the front seats. She sat with her legs crossed, hands resting on her knee, glancing at her nails that secretly glowed.

Though the tracking device was tiny, it worked. Currently, Yin Feng and his men, along with Jing Ping and others, were following several kilometers behind in their convoy. Yin Feng had already informed Xu Mengshan about the nails, so now the monitoring equipment in several cars showed You Mingxu’s movement trajectory. So far, everything seemed normal.

Everyone had risen too early, and even Luo Yu didn’t bother You Mingxu, closing his eyes for a nap. You Mingxu didn’t dare sleep deeply, just dozed lightly, conserving her energy.

After about two hours, they reached the border of Hunan province. The convoy exited the highway and entered a town. It was fully light now, with people and vehicles bustling about, forcing the convoy to move slowly. You Mingxu had long since awakened, appearing drowsy but highly alert, observing everything around her.