You Mingxu had indeed come out to scout the situation—she needed to understand their current manpower. Seeing the injured Xing Yanjun surprised her. She’d heard that Xing Jifu never let his son get involved in these matters, yet he’d brought the young master along this time, and things had gone wrong. She wondered if the Xiangtan gang was responsible.

Then her eyes fell on that face.

You Mingxu’s eyes went wide.

It seemed that every time, Yin Feng would appear at times and places she never expected, in ways she thought impossible. Neither dragon pools nor tiger dens could stop him. And somehow, every time, he emerged completely unscathed.

Seeing her stunned expression, Yin Feng suddenly felt pleased and smiled.

Through the darkened window, You Mingxu saw the usually cold and arrogant man poking his head out, a large piece of tape across his mouth, his hair and collar disheveled. Yet he smiled at her, and in that moment, he showed both You Yingjun’s foolishness and his current self’s steady confidence.

You Mingxu felt her heartbeat becoming erratic at that moment. His smile alone sent electric tremors through her entire body.

They gazed at each other silently for a while, but fearing the thugs’ attention, You Mingxu turned away to look elsewhere.

After a moment, Yin Feng saw her smile too, eyes lowered, corners of her mouth lifting. He knew that smile was meant for him, and suddenly felt his heart skip a beat, a tingling sensation crawling across it.

—

Back in her room, You Mingxu naturally wouldn’t sleep, instead resting in her chair with closed eyes.

The door creaked, and Luo Yu entered, his expression normal. He walked to the bed and lay down fully clothed.

Both were quiet for a moment as You Mingxu watched him with open eyes.

He had already closed his eyes, one hand across his forehead, and said, “Sleep, Mingxu. Everything will be resolved tomorrow.”

After a while, You Mingxu closed her eyes too.

She was only half-asleep when suddenly, at some point, she detected a faint sweet scent. Her mind jolted alert, but when she tried to open her eyes, they felt incredibly heavy. Abruptly, the fragrance intensified as something pressed hard against her mouth and nose. She gasped twice, her head spinning, before losing consciousness.

—

Yin Feng woke to the pain of someone pulling at his face.

Opening his eyes, he saw Guanjun’s smirking face in the dim light. They were still in the abandoned farmhouse, with Tu Ya and Chen Feng rubbing their eyes beside him.

Guanjun handed him a cup of water, saying, “Teacher Yin, you were all drugged. The others have fled. Too bad for them—when it comes to drugs, I’m their master!”

Yin Feng stood up from the floor and asked, “How long have they been gone?”

Guanjun answered, “Half an hour.”

“What about Xu?”

“Of course, they took her too. But strangely, besides you three, they left two others who were also drugged.”

When Yin Feng and the others went to another room, they indeed found two men lying unconscious on the floor—the same skilled fighters who had helped Xing Yanjun escape yesterday.

Chen Feng asked, “How long will the drug keep them unconscious?”

Guanjun replied, “Until tomorrow evening at least.”

Chen Feng: “The transaction is today. By then, it’ll be too late.” He glanced at the two men on the floor, remembering how Xing Yanjun had mentioned in the car that these were men his father had personally chosen. Yet just yesterday, Luo Yu had said he would send Xing Yanjun back to Hunan first thing in the morning.

Chen Feng’s eyes flashed: “What’s Luo Yu playing at?”

Yin Feng just smiled slightly: “Interesting.”

—

Among those taken, Luo Yu had only drugged You Mingxu and Xing Yanjun. He put You Mingxu in his car and Xing Yanjun in the trunk. Only after everything was arranged did he wake Huang Long and Guo Feirong, telling them they needed to leave immediately.

Huang Long asked, “What’s wrong?”

Luo Yu answered, “I suspect the Xiangtan gang made too much noise and the police are onto us. The sooner we leave, the better.”

No one could argue with that.

Guo Feirong asked, “What about the young master?”

Luo Yu smiled slightly and said, “The boss was worried and had him leave with some men an hour ago. It’s better this way—this trip is very dangerous after all.”

Huang Long and Guo Feirong exchanged glances but said nothing. After all, Xing Yanjun was his son—no matter how much Xing Jifu trusted them, he wouldn’t let his son touch even a bit of these desperate matters.

So neither asked further. Huang Long remembered something and asked, “What about those people who brought Yanjun back yesterday? Don’t you have a grudge with them?”

Luo Yu said, “I drugged them. They’ll sleep until tomorrow evening, no need to worry.”

Huang Long looked at him: “Killing them would be simpler.”

Luo Yu smiled and said, “Ah Long, we’re here to do business, not kill people. He has some connections—if we kill him, the police will investigate relentlessly. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Besides, he did save the young master, who spoke up for him. If we kill him now, when the young master takes over later, he’ll hold it against us.”

These words struck home with Huang Long and Guo Feirong. They said nothing more and left with their men under cover of darkness.

So when You Mingxu woke again, it was already bright daylight. She found the convoy was no longer on the highway but traveling through dense forest on rough terrain. Luo Yu sat in the front passenger seat wearing sunglasses, his expression cold.

She sat in the back with someone—Xing Yanjun. However, both their hands were bound tightly to the front seats, completely impossible to break free.

She said coldly, “What are you doing, Luo Yu?”

Luo Yu glanced back at her and smiled, “Ah, you’re awake. We’re almost there.”

She kicked his seat, but Luo Yu’s smile only deepened, unmoved. The commotion slowly roused Xing Yanjun, who stared in confusion at the situation.

Xing Yanjun wasn’t stupid. His heart sank slowly as he said, “Luo Yu, whatever you want, you can discuss it slowly with my father.”

Luo Yu said, “Young Master misunderstands. It’s going to be dangerous soon—I want you to stay in the car and not run around, to avoid getting hurt. If you were shot dead, how could I explain that to the boss?”

Xing Yanjun: “Luo Yu! How has my father treated you? Are you going to betray him?”

You Mingxu remained silent, watching their expressions. After a moment, Luo Yu answered, “Yes, I’m going to betray him.”

At these words, Xing Yanjun’s face turned from green to white, speechless. You Mingxu spoke up then: “No matter whose side you’re on or who you’ve allied with, taking him makes sense. But why take me?”

Luo Yu laughed out loud, saying, “Yes, why take you? You Mingxu, you’re so clever—think about it. I’ve kidnapped Xing Jifu’s son, so why would I take you too? Think about why I had to chase you down. Why did I have to parade you in front of the boss? Because only by having you could I advance further at his side, get this big business deal, haha!”