Chapter Thirty-Four: The Red Thread

Tianmei Song City.

Lin Lei, now disguised as "Long Wentian," strode into the club.

"Good afternoon, Boss Long!"
"Brother Tian!"

As he walked, people greeted him one after another. Lin Lei nodded coolly in response, then casually remarked to someone nearby, "Tell Long Er to come see me."

The man nodded immediately and turned to leave.

Lin Lei headed straight to the third floor and entered the luxury suite, 301. He let out a yawn, sat down in front of the sofa, rested his chin on his hand, and feigned exhaustion, half-closing his eyes.

A short while later.
Knock, knock.
There was a knock at the unlocked door.

"Come in!" Lin Lei said, his voice still hoarse.

Footsteps echoed. A faint fragrance drifted toward him.

"Brother Tian, you're finally back," a young girl breathed.

Lin Lei felt a soft touch against his hand. He opened his eyes and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Standing before him was indeed the young woman in the qipao from that night. Today, however, she wore jeans and a plain shirt, a stark contrast to the impression she had left on Chen Fan.

Her face flushed slightly as she wrapped her arms around Lin Lei’s. "I've been waiting for you for days! I don't have classes today, so I came specifically to find you!"

Lin Lei glanced at the girl but did not pull his arm away. Instead, he yawned again, cool and indifferent. "Why is it you? Where is Long Er?"

"Oh, you and your Long Er! Do you like him more than you like me?" The girl pouted, shaking his arm and pressing her body against him, acting coy. "It’s been so long since we went out together. Can we go to the amusement park tomorrow?"

Just then, another knock sounded at the door.

"Brother!" the bald man’s voice came from outside.

At the sound of the voice, a flash of annoyance crossed the girl’s face. Lin Lei raised an eyebrow and said, "Come in."

The bald man pushed the door open. Seeing the girl sitting next to Lin Lei, he couldn't help but frown, saying bluntly, "Yu Shishi? You showed up the moment Brother got back. Your nose is truly sharp."

Only then did Lin Lei learn the girl's name. Judging by the tone, Long Er seemed to harbor a fair amount of resentment toward her.

Yu Shishi huffed. "I came to see my Brother Tian, and I’ll come whenever I want! What’s it to you?"

Long Er sneered, narrowed his eyes, and turned to Lin Lei. "Brother, welcome home. A-Bing has been looking for you these past two days—"

Lin Lei coughed, pulled his arm from the girl's soft embrace, and looked at her as gently as he could. "Shishi, you go out first."

He knew that for a girl with a repeated-character name, unless the relationship was distant, people—whether close or not—would usually drop the surname and just use the given name. Lin Lei wasn't worried that his way of addressing her would betray Long Wentian’s habits.

"Brother Tian..." The girl pouted, wanting to act spoiled again, but seeing Lin Lei’s eyes turning cold, she stuck out her tongue, glared hatefully at Long Er, and left the room.

The bald man watched her go and sneered, showing no restraint. "An idiot who doesn't know her own place!"

Hearing this, Lin Lei narrowed his eyes but said nothing, though his heart grew colder. He was now nine-tenths certain that this Shishi was an "Adept."

"Brother, wait a moment. I'll go get A-Bing." The bald man nodded to Lin Lei and quickly left the room.

Before long, he returned, leading a handsome man in sportswear. Lin Lei recognized him instantly; it was Zhao Bing, who had just moved into the apartment below his. So, A-Bing was this Zhao Bing.

"My guess was correct."

Lin Lei felt icy inside, yet his expression remained completely unreadable.

When Zhao Bing saw Lin Lei, he looked as if he had found a savior. "Brother Tian, you're finally back! Where did Brother Xie and the others go? With them gone, I can't continue my mission at all..."

The "Brother Xie" Zhao Bing mentioned must have been Xie Jielun. He clearly didn't know Xie Jielun was dead.

Before Lin Lei could respond, the bald man, Long Er, slammed his hand onto the back of Zhao Bing's neck. "Have I not taught you that you shouldn't ask questions you shouldn't be asking in front of Brother Tian?!"

Zhao Bing stumbled, nearly falling, his face flushing red. "I'm sorry, Brother!"

Long Er huffed. "I hope there won't be a next time."

Zhao Bing turned back to Lin Lei, looking utterly helpless. "Brother, I have no choice. I really have a headache. With Brother Xie and the others gone, the target isn't facing any further pressure, and it's very difficult for me to complete the subsequent plan... Time was already limited, and now, I’m at a loss."

Lin Lei waved his hand and stated flatly, "The plan is suspended. Come back."

Both Zhao Bing and Long Er were stunned. They exchanged a glance, and Zhao Bing still looked unreconciled. "But, according to the original plan, the target is weak-willed. Once we close the distance and apply a bit more pressure, there's no way I won't be able to take her..."

Although Long Er looked hesitant, upon hearing this, he punched Zhao Bing in the stomach. Zhao Bing gasped and collapsed, curling up like a boiled shrimp. Long Er grabbed him by the hair. "Have you forgotten again? Never question any decision Brother Tian makes!"

"I was wrong, I was wrong. I'll pull back immediately!" Zhao Bing cried, tears and snot streaming down his face, not daring to say another word.

Lin Lei, who had been preparing to make up an excuse, watched this scene with a subtle expression. Long Wentian’s authority over these people was truly exaggerated. No questions, no doubts. Long Wentian really had a way of training his people.

Lin Lei waved his hand again, and Zhao Bing, clutching his stomach, left the room.

"Brother, it's my fault. We didn't have any better cards to play, so I had to put Zhao Bing in. He just joined and hasn't been trained well enough... Rest assured, I will educate him properly in the time that remains."

"He certainly needs to be educated properly," Lin Lei said with a cold smile and a nod.

Seeing Lin Lei’s attitude, Long Er’s eyes flashed, as if he had realized something. "Brother, you can count on me."

Lowering his voice, he stepped closer to Lin Lei. "Brother, did you abandon the operation because of the Fourth Young Master..."

While Zhao Bing couldn't question Long Wentian, Long Er was clearly different.

Lin Lei said, "Have you ever heard of a love potion?"

Long Er’s expression shifted to one of sudden realization. "So that's it. To think the Fourth Young Master could produce something like that. No wonder, no wonder..."

Without needing Lin Lei to elaborate, he had already constructed a narrative in his own mind.

Lin Lei coughed and added, "As for the target, even though Zhao Bing's plan is terminated early, we cannot let our guard down completely. Send a few people to protect her."

Long Er nodded immediately. "Consider it done."

Lin Lei had been worrying about how to protect Qi Fangyan and the little girl; now, he could make use of Long Wentian’s resources.

"By the way, Brother, while you were away, someone from the gang leader's side came by!" Long Er said, reaching into his pocket and taking out a small cloth bag. "They brought some auxiliary items and asked us to help look for something. It seems they've specifically marked an area in the Upper City..."

Lin Lei took the bag and found a single red thread inside.