She could not help tightening her embrace, and her tears began to fall. “Xie Yan, I have no right to choose for myself. From that day forward, my life was no longer my own. If I had never come to Xin Guo, I would still be an ordinary person right now — whether rich or poor, I would have had simple happiness. But, Xie Yan — do you understand? I cannot change my own fate. I don’t even have the capacity to resist. My parents are already old, my brothers and sisters are still being held captive. I can choose not to live for my own sake, but I cannot watch them die. Sometimes I truly want to end it all, but what comes after death?”

“Xie Yan, thank you. Even though you are domineering and overbearing, you have saved me and helped me. You are like this snow — both beautiful and cold.”

“Xie Yan, I also want to go back to my hometown. In your homeland you can ski down mountain slopes; in my homeland you can swim in the river all year round. If you ever have the chance, you are welcome to come and see it.”

Shen Ruoxi murmured softly in Xie Yan’s ear for a long time, sharing many things from her childhood. She knew he could not hear her, yet she was glad to share these things with him.

When daylight came the next morning, Gui Shou and the others came rushing to find them. They had used a helicopter, and from above, they spotted the vivid red of Shen Ruoxi’s outfit.

When Xie Yan finally woke, it was already noon on the third day.

He felt as though his whole body were still floating in a fog, his mind not entirely clear. After a long, hazy stretch, he finally heard someone speaking beside him.

“Mr. Xie, Mr. Xie.” The voice grew more urgent with each call.

He saw that the speaker was Old Liu, so he said, “Old Liu, where is Shen Ruoxi?”

His voice was still hoarse, but Old Liu heard him clearly.

“Miss Shen said she went back. She is fine — please don’t worry, Mr. Xie.” Old Liu said, “The infection from Mr. Xie’s wound caused a fever. He has been unconscious for two days.”

Xie Yan glanced at his bandaged right arm. At this point he could no longer feel much pain.

He closed his eyes wearily. “Old Liu, send someone to bring Shen Ruoxi here.”

Old Liu looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

It was Gui Shou, standing nearby, who could not resist speaking. “Mr. Xie, is there something you need from Miss Shen?”

“Dai Jing will find out her identity soon. Don’t let Dai Jing find her.” Xie Yan’s chest rose and fell. “Send her out of Shun Cheng.”

Gui Shou glanced at Old Liu, who gave him a single nod.

Whatever the case, any order Xie Yan gave right now had to be carried out. Even if Shen Ruoxi was working for the Xi Nan side, as long as Xie Yan did not want her to die, she would not die.

When Gui Shou arrived at the apartment where Shen Ruoxi was staying, he was already too late. The room she had previously occupied was long since empty.

Gui Shou found Hong Jie, who said she had no idea when Shen Ruoxi had left, but that on the morning of the day before yesterday, she had found the room key sitting on the table — she assumed Shen Ruoxi had left it there.

Hong Jie had gone to knock on Shen Ruoxi’s door after finding the key, but there was no answer. She had wanted to tell Xie Yan about this, but she could never reach him, so she had let the matter go.

“I also have no idea where Miss Shen has gone,” Hong Jie said. “Could she have had a falling out with Mr. Xie? Otherwise, why would she leave so suddenly?”

Gui Shou could not fathom Xie Yan’s thoughts either. When he had discovered Shen Ruoxi’s true identity and learned that she had approached Xie Yan purely to exploit him, Gui Shou had assumed Xie Yan would kill her without a second thought. But instead, after arranging this “accident,” Xie Yan had suddenly changed his mind.

Not only had he changed his mind — he had gone back and injured his own right arm saving her. The doctor had said that the tendons in his right hand were half severed. Even once reattached, they would affect the rest of his life. At the very least, he would no longer be able to perform any delicate tasks.

For a Xi Nan spy, a woman who stood against him, Xie Yan had sacrificed the use of one hand. Gui Shou could not understand it.

Xie Yan had never lacked for women. Why go so far for an outsider?

While Gui Shou was searching for Shen Ruoxi, she had long since returned to the secret base.

After Qin Pei Pei’s arrest, the old base had faced the risk of exposure, and those above had wasted no time in deciding to relocate.

On the surface, this base appeared to be nothing more than an opium den. But beneath it lay a world of its own.

“Your identity was discovered?” Standing before Shen Ruoxi was a woman in her thirties. Her outward appearance was one of elegance and refinement, but her eyes held a sharp, piercing edge.

“Yes. Xie Yan had someone investigate me. Dai Jing will likely know soon as well.” Shen Ruoxi said, “I must leave Shun Cheng now.”

The woman looked at her. “Using Xie Yan was like snatching chestnuts from the fire. I warned you at the time — Xie Yan is no easy man to deal with. He is deeply suspicious and utterly ruthless in his methods. Do you think he rose to the position he holds today — becoming Shi Xing Zhi’s chief agent in the underworld — on luck alone? Making contact with him was always going to leave you exposed. Exposure was only a matter of time.”

Shen Ruoxi said, “He is indeed cunning. He has never once truly trusted anyone.”

“Why did he let you go?” The woman’s tone shifted abruptly, a keen light igniting in her eyes.

“What?”

The woman said, “If he had already seen through you, why would he let you go? With his methods, he would not hesitate to kill you.”

“I was only guessing that he knew.” Shen Ruoxi said evenly, “He very likely wanted to play a long game — seeing through my identity but saying nothing, then using me to uncover the people behind me.”

“That is not without logic.” The woman’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You may leave Shun Cheng — but before you do, you must complete one final mission.”

Hearing this, Shen Ruoxi felt her heart clench suddenly.

“Kill Xie Yan.”

The woman’s words confirmed exactly what Shen Ruoxi had anticipated. The task of killing Xie Yan had always been a matter of sooner or later.

Xie Yan was aligned with Shi Ting’s faction and held control over critical military supply resources. His existence was an undeniable threat to Xi Nan.

But Xie Yan would not be easy to kill. Eliminating him would require thorough preparation.

“Why hesitate?” The woman’s gaze seemed to see straight through her. “Are you reluctant to kill him — or have you reached some kind of agreement with him?”

“That is impossible.” Shen Ruoxi said coldly. “How could I have made any agreement with him?”

“If that is the case, why have you not immediately accepted this mission?”

Shen Ruoxi said, “He already knows my identity. I cannot kill him.”

“Shen Ruoxi, don’t forget — your greatest skill is the use of poison. If you truly wanted to kill him, he would not notice.”

Shen Ruoxi fell silent.

“Complete this mission, and you may leave Shun Cheng. I will allow you to reunite with your family. It has been a long time since you have seen them, hasn’t it? They miss you very much.”

When the woman mentioned her family, Shen Ruoxi felt her heartstrings tremble.

—