That afternoon, the two didn't stay at the hotel. Instead, they wandered all over the streets.
They tasted all sorts of delicious food, frequented high-end shopping venues, and bought a lot.
Of course, all this money was Li Chonglou's, not mission funds.
In Bai Jing's words, she had suffered greatly as Li Chonglou's lover and needed compensation.
What's more, she had to unwillingly act affectionately.
So Li Chonglou could only default with a sigh.
"This one looks good... darling..." Bai Jing was trying on a long trench coat in front of the mirror. She called out a few times but didn't get a response from Li Chonglou, so she turned to look.
Li Chonglou stood at the shop entrance, looking far out the window.
Bai Jing walked over to him with the clothes and followed his gaze. She saw a beautiful young woman by the railing, surrounded by several burly men.
Her face was pale and her expression was tense.
"What? You want to be a hero saving the damsel?" Bai Jing asked deliberately.
"That's my friend." Li Chonglou's eyes flickered with a hint of coldness, his voice a little chilly.
The person surrounded was his lover from his previous life, Fan Meng, whom he had met again in Yucheng.
She had returned to Zhonghai half a month ago.
He had gone to Yucheng for nothing; he still hadn't obtained the Golden Buddha.
After returning, many things had happened.
Her father was sentenced to life imprisonment, and her grandfather was so angry he vomited blood and fell into a coma.
And she finally knew that the mastermind behind all of this, the person who had been instigating trouble from behind the scenes, was her second uncle.
With her grandfather and father no longer able to restrain him, her second uncle had become so brazen that he had directly sent people to the mall to apprehend her.
"You eat from the Fan family, drink from the Fan family, yet you commit such betrayal!" Fan Meng stared at these burly men, her teeth clenched, her beautiful eyes red.
There were many onlookers, but no one stepped forward to help.
Seeing these tall and strong men, people instinctively feared being implicated.
Some even pointed and gossiped.
"Isn't this girl a mistress? Surely the lawful wife sent people to catch her."
"Serves her right. She must have done something shameful, or else why would so many people be causing trouble for her."
"Young girls nowadays don't know how to be modest. The times have changed."
...
The mentality of victim-blaming was considered a truth by many.
Not only did they not think of helping, but they also subconsciously felt Fan Meng was guilty.
It was utterly absurd.
"Stop the nonsense. If you don't want to suffer, just come with us obediently. Otherwise..." the leader said with a sinister threat, seeing that no one dared to come forward.
If it weren't for the security cameras in the mall, he would have already made a move to apprehend her. Why bother arguing with a young girl?
"Dream on!"
Before he could finish, Fan Meng interrupted him, "Go back and tell my second uncle that if he dares to harm my grandfather, I will not spare him even as a vengeful spirit!"
Although the young girl was young, she couldn't hide her nervousness, but she didn't back down at all.
She had been hiding for days, but ultimately couldn't escape these people's pursuit.
Even running to the mall was useless.
She had nowhere left to run. Her only option might be to leap from the third floor.
There was a children's play area below with an air cushion, so she might not die from the fall.
But it was hard to guarantee she wouldn't get injured.
She had made up her mind. Even if her legs were broken, she would never surrender and allow herself to be confined.
"Little girl, you can tell the second young master yourself!" The man's eyes flashed with ferocity. He gave a look to one of his subordinates, signaling them to secure the railing.
The others cautiously stepped forward, preparing to forcibly apprehend her.
Fan Meng's eyes were filled with resolve, and her hands had already gripped the railing, ready to jump at any moment.
"You have so many men bullying a young girl. Are you ashamed?" Just then, a clear and beautiful voice rang out from the crowd.
The next second, Bai Jing pushed through the crowd and threw her bag to Li Chonglou.
She then walked towards Fan Meng, clenching her fists.
"Woman, stop causing trouble for yourself. Get lost!" The man glared back at Bai Jing, his eyes ferocious.
Fan Meng's movements completely froze at this moment.
Her gaze didn't fall on Bai Jing, but on Li Chonglou, who was laden with shopping bags.
Her eyes widened, filled with shock and confusion.
She never expected Li Chonglou to appear in Zhonghai.
Even less did she expect him to have become so thin, making him particularly conspicuous in the crowd.
"You're the ones who should get lost. This young lady is my man's friend. I'll count to three, don't blame me for not warning you." Bai Jing said calmly and at ease.
"Take her too," the man's pupils contracted sharply. He waved his hand.
Immediately, a burly man rushed out, intending to subdue Bai Jing.
Unfortunately, he didn't know he was facing a warrior from the elite Eagle Special Forces.
Although Bai Jing wasn't proficient in combat, it was only "not proficient." She was still much stronger than ordinary people, or even these professionally trained bodyguards.
Before the man could even touch her, she kicked him directly in the jaw.
With a thud, he fell straight to the ground, unconscious.
Hiss...
This scene made the onlookers gasp and feel a chill down their spines.
No one expected a cold and aloof beauty to be so violent.
"A master!"
The man squinted, his shock still evident. His expression turned grim as he threatened, "I don't care who you are, don't interfere in the Fan family's affairs, or you will definitely regret it."
The Fan family.
Almost everyone in Zhonghai knew of them.
One of the eight major families in the country, once a behemoth in Zhonghai.
Only in the last decade, with the rapid rise of the internet economy, did they gradually lose their leading position in terms of economy.
But in terms of influence, they were by no means comparable to emerging forces.
The consequences of offending the Fan family were terrifying to even think about.
The onlookers involuntarily stepped back a few paces, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.
But Bai Jing remained unfazed.
Instead, she sneered and pointed at the man she had knocked out, saying, "I don't care which family you are from. If you don't leave, I'll make sure you end up like him."
"You're asking for death! You guys grab Fan Meng, and I'll deal with this woman!" Seeing his threat was useless, the man's eyes flashed with venom.
With that, he lunged forward, drawing a dagger from his waist and stabbing directly at Bai Jing's side.
It was evident that the man had some skill. This position was neither fatal nor incapacitating.
And it was particularly difficult to defend against.
He could usually finish an enemy in one move.
But he never expected that Bai Jing's skills would far exceed his expectations.
Bai Jing easily flipped sideways, dodging the dagger, while her long legs whipped out like a whip in the air.
With a crack, she fiercely struck him in the chest.
The man felt as if he had been hit by a train. His breathing stopped instantly.
His mind went blank, he dropped the dagger, and collapsed to the ground.
The others, who were about to grab Fan Meng, seeing their leader unconscious, all charged towards Bai Jing.
But they were taken down like vegetables being chopped.
This scene made Fan Meng's eyes widen, her face filled with disbelief.
Clap, clap, clap...
Only after everyone was dealt with did applause finally erupt from the surrounding crowd.
Many even took out their phones and recorded Bai Jing's every move.
"This woman is so cool, so beautiful..."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at that man, skinny as he is, he has such a beautiful girlfriend. He must have accumulated immense blessings in three lifetimes."
"What, are you envious? Ask yourself if you can take a beating first."
...
In a few words, Bai Jing became a goddess in people's minds.
The person in question, however, walked潇洒ly to Fan Meng and extended her hand, "Let's go, let's find another place. It's too noisy here."
Fan Meng seemed to wake from a dream, placed her hand in Bai Jing's, and was led out of the crowd by her.
They then called Li Chonglou and left the third floor together.
In the crowd, a man with a full beard had a flash of shrewdness in his eyes. He took out his phone, dialed Tong Zhaolin, and reported everything he had seen.
"That woman is indeed his bodyguard and lover. Her skills are surprisingly good."
"But now that she's offended the Fan family, this Li Chonglou is in big trouble..."
"Let's wait and see. If he can't fight the Fan family, we won't be able to do business."
"Alright, stop following. Come back," came Tong Zhaolin's cunning voice from the phone.
Meanwhile, Li Chonglou and the two women had arrived at a coffee shop on the fifth floor of the mall.
Li Chonglou placed the bags on the ground, pretended to pant, and after taking a sip of water, asked, "Fan Meng, why are you here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing..." Fan Meng said speechlessly. "You came to Zhonghai, why didn't you call me?"
"You really don't consider me a friend."
After speaking, she seemed to realize her wording was problematic and quickly looked at Bai Jing, saying awkwardly, "Is this elder sister your wife?"
"Thank you, elder sister, for saving me."
She knew Li Chonglou was married, and Bai Jing said he was her man, so she must be his wife.
Li Chonglou didn't explain, nodding in agreement.
Bai Jing, on the other hand, felt a slight blush on her cold and beautiful face.
Wife and lover were two different matters. Why didn't she want to clarify when Fan Meng misunderstood?
Strange, if it were anyone else, she would have long since explained that she was just his girlfriend.
"You're welcome. You're Chonglou's friend, so it's only right," Bai Jing said with a rare smile.
In fact, today's events had violated the mission.
Unforeseen complications were a major taboo in missions.
Moreover, it involved the Fan family.
But seeing Fan Meng, a young girl, surrounded by a group of grown men, Bai Jing's heart was filled with indignation. She stopped Li Chonglou, appeared herself, and took on six people.
This way, even if something went wrong, the organization would blame her, not implicate Li Chonglou.
Li Chonglou, witnessing this display of chivalry,
frankly, found it quite enjoyable.
"Am I naturally suited to be a kept man..." Li Chonglou mused, starting to doubt himself.
The two women soon began to chat.
Fan Meng recounted everything that had happened since her return to Zhonghai from Yucheng.
Her second uncle's usurpation, her grandfather's serious illness and coma, her father's life sentence, each event clearly indicated her extremely difficult situation.
The Fan family was not a third-rate family like the Jiang family. It was immense.
Its influence and connections were incredibly complex, not just limited to her second uncle's faction.
The Jiang family alone was enough to cause a headache, let alone the Fan family.
Of course, such power struggles were an almost unavoidable phenomenon in every major family.
Unless someone was as forceful as Xiao Yun, making others afraid to act rashly.
Fan Meng was too young, and clearly couldn't achieve this.
If that was the case, then she was in danger.
"You should go to Yucheng. At least you'll be safe with your Aunt Tang there. You're not suited to survive in the vortex of this power struggle," Li Chonglou advised.
But he was immediately rejected by Fan Meng's stern refusal, "I won't!"
"My father was framed, and my grandfather's life is unknown. I will never leave at a time like this."
"No matter what, I will expose my second uncle's true face and reclaim everything I've lost."
Her tone was as firm as iron.
Her gaze was filled with determination.