Stalemate

Tang Long had spent many years forging his path in Haitong City, single-handedly building the Longyue Group into a powerhouse worth nearly ten billion. He was, without a doubt, a man of formidable skill. His connections and influence ran so deep they seemed unfathomable. If one were to list the five most powerful figures in Haitong, this urbane young talent would certainly be among them.

Under his careful orchestration, Black Bear’s suspicion was finally wiped clean; the police withdrew their pursuit and the warrant against him was revoked. Beyond that, Tang Long paved the way for Black Bear, making his future dominion over the city’s underworld much smoother.

During this time, Lin Qi and Black Bear had been staying at Song Qingfeng’s place. Whenever anyone came searching, the two would simply slip into the cellar. Black Bear’s need to hide was obvious. As for Lin Qi, he simply didn’t want to face Sun Xiaoyun.

A week passed before Tang Long called to say everything was settled, and only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.

“Hahaha! Black Bear is back!” Black Bear flung open the door, laughing to the sky.

At that moment, a patrol car happened to drive by.

“Come get me! I’m Black Bear!” He spread his arms wide, flaunting his return.

The patrol car didn’t even glance his way, speeding off in a cloud of dust.

“Hahaha! Not so tough now, are you?” Black Bear danced with delight.

“You really are a show-off…” Lin Qi shook his head, turning to Song Qingfeng. “Thank you for everything these past days, but we’ll head back now.”

Song Qingfeng clasped his hands repeatedly. “You’re too polite, young master. This is nothing less than my duty.”

Black Bear left, and Lin Qi returned home as well.

Counting from the day he’d been detained, Lin Qi had been away from home for nearly a month.

He was exhausted, truly exhausted.

He pushed open the door, intending to take a long, hot shower and finally rest.

But as soon as he entered, he saw a woman with short hair sitting on the sofa in the living room.

It was Sun Xiaoyun.

“How did you get in?” Lin Qi asked, puzzled.

“The window,” Sun Xiaoyun said calmly.

Lin Qi turned to look; sure enough, the window was open.

“You’re an agent, why do you always climb in through the window…” Lin Qi was speechless, wandering over, grabbing two bottles of cola from the fridge as he passed. He handed one to Sun Xiaoyun, opening the other for himself.

“Where have you been these past days?” Sun Xiaoyun asked casually, her eyes fixed intently on his face.

“I wasn’t feeling well, so I stayed at a friend’s place for a few days,” Lin Qi replied, his expression calm.

“I called you—why didn’t you answer?”

“Didn’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“No reason.”

Their conversation stalled, becoming awkward.

Sun Xiaoyun let out a long breath and continued, “Black Bear killed Chen Yuannan—many people saw it happen. We’ve been searching for him, but he vanished without a trace. Then today, my superiors suddenly told me Chen Yuannan wasn’t killed by Black Bear, and all those witnesses changed their testimonies… I couldn’t accept it, so I called my dad. He told me the situation here is complicated, told me not to meddle, to turn a blind eye.”

“Who’s your father?” Lin Qi asked, curious.

“He’s a provincial bureau chief,” Sun Xiaoyun replied without hesitation. “But I never rely on him. I got into the Special Operations Bureau on my own merit. Today, I was really out of options, thought something was off and called him, hoping he’d help investigate. But he refused. I’m disappointed.”

“Oh…” Lin Qi’s face remained impassive.

“Do you have anything you want to say?” Sun Xiaoyun stared at Lin Qi.

“What does this have to do with me?”

“I heard Black Bear call you ‘young master.’”

“You misheard.”

“I didn’t mishear.”

“Suit yourself.”

Lin Qi couldn’t be bothered to reply, half-reclining on the sofa.

The room was deathly quiet, almost ghostly.

Sunlight poured in, and a gentle breeze whispered through.

No one knew how much time passed before Sun Xiaoyun spoke again. “I tried to track your phone, but you installed an anti-tracking device. Ordinary people would never have something like that…”

Lin Qi still said nothing.

“Song Qingfeng calls you ‘young master,’ Black Bear calls you ‘young master,’ Boss Chai treats you with utmost respect, Chen Yuannan brought dozens of men to kill you… Lin Qi, who are you really? What’s your true identity?”

Lin Qi remained silent, eyes half-closed as if he were asleep.

“Don’t let me catch you slipping…” Sun Xiaoyun gritted her teeth. “If I do, I swear I’ll send you to prison!”

She stood and strode toward the door.

“Safe travels,” Lin Qi said, rising as if to see her out.

Sun Xiaoyun turned back.

Her eyes were unexpectedly red.

“What’s wrong…” Lin Qi was baffled.

“Lin Qi…” Sun Xiaoyun bit her lip, fighting back tears that threatened to fall. “Please, please don’t be a criminal.”

Lin Qi sensed the strange feelings Sun Xiaoyun harbored for him.

This was not good.

Nor should it be.

“Whether I’m a criminal or not has nothing to do with you,” Lin Qi said coldly. “If you have the ability, then catch me.”

Sun Xiaoyun turned and rushed out the door.

In that instant, it felt as though her heart had shattered.