76: Swiftwind Express Delivery

“The Hualong Gang (Glorious Dragon Gang) again?” Shen Yifei frowned, his gaze falling upon the vivid green dragons tattooed on the right arms of the thugs (street enforcers typically associated with criminal organizations), and a memory clicked into place.

“Who’s the boss of your Hualong Gang?” Shen Yifei asked with an easy, almost nonchalant air.

“It’s Master Yuan! His full name is Yuan Ye (Yuan, meaning ‘Far’, and Ye, meaning ‘Wild’),” one of the thugs stammered.

Shen Yifei didn’t recognize any Yuan Ye, so he simply waved a dismissive hand. “Alright, you can all get lost!”

He couldn’t be bothered to call the authorities; he’d only just troubled Bai Qingyu (a police officer) that morning, and it was too late to impose on her again.

At his words, the thugs scattered as if granted a divine pardon, scrambling out of the suite in a terrified, undignified rush. ‘Damn it,’ they thought, ‘if we don’t get beaten to death staying here, we’ll surely be scared to death!’

Liu Xiaoxiao took several deep, shaky breaths, her eyes on Shen Yifei as if he were a complete stranger. She simply couldn't reconcile the usual jovial, light-hearted Shen Yifei with the ruthless, almost brutal man standing before her.

‘Damn it,’ she thought, ‘the “Amazons” (her tough female colleagues) in the office always say *I’m* ruthless and unforgiving, but compared to this guy, I’m as kind as The Little Match Girl. I might make someone lose their livelihood, but *he* directly ensures they won't have an heir!’

Liu Xiaoxiao looked at Cao Bao (a subordinate of the Hualong Gang), sprawled inert on the ground like a slaughtered hog, and felt a quiet, almost sympathetic, moment of silence for him.

“Xiaoxiao, it’s settled. Let’s go,” Shen Yifei said, a warm smile returning to his face as he walked toward her.

“Scoundrel, stay away from me!” Liu Xiaoxiao pouted.

“What do you mean, ‘scoundrel’!” Shen Yifei’s face darkened in mock indignation. “Was I not simply upholding justice and eradicating a menace for the common folk?”

“Pfft!” Liu Xiaoxiao choked, rolling her eyes. “Is *that* how you uphold justice?”

“Ah, Xiaoxiao, you simply don’t understand,” Shen Yifei said, shaking his head. “To deal with such villains, how can one not make them suffer a little?”

Liu Xiaoxiao glanced at Shen Yifei. “How… how did you find me?” she asked.

“I simply tracked down your car. Honestly, it took me forever to find you, Xiaoxiao. I rushed all the way here late at night to rescue you, and not even a ‘thank you’?” Shen Yifei chuckled.

Liu Xiaoxiao flushed, muttering softly, “Thank you?”

“What was that? I didn’t quite catch it.”

“Well… if you didn’t catch it, then never mind. I’m not saying it again!” Liu Xiaoxiao huffed lightly, then added, “It’s not safe here. Let’s go.”

Shen Yifei nodded, then asked, “Xiaoxiao, they didn’t… do anything to you, did they?”

Liu Xiaoxiao arched a delicate eyebrow. “Do what?”

“You know… they didn’t… violate you, did they?” Shen Yifei asked teasingly.

“Pfft!” Liu Xiaoxiao’s pretty face flushed crimson. “Even if I were to die, I’d never let anyone… violate me!” she cried out indignantly.

“Xiaoxiao, that’s not quite right,” Shen Yifei chuckled. “You mean you won’t… be intimate with your future husband?”

“You…” Liu Xiaoxiao’s cheeks burned red, wishing she could sew Shen Yifei’s mouth shut.

No, she thought, I am a goddess, I must be a lady! I cannot stoop to bickering with this rascal.

Liu Xiaoxiao gave a cold snort, then turned and strode towards the exit, Shen Yifei following closely behind.

As they stepped out of the restaurant, Liu Xiaoxiao secretly glanced at Shen Yifei, a small sigh of relief escaping her lips.

Shen Yifei was still… Shen Yifei. If the man had truly transformed into someone else, she wouldn’t have known how to approach him.

“Try to stir up less trouble in the future!” Liu Xiaoxiao said, pouting.

Shen Yifei raised an eyebrow. Why was Liu Xiaoxiao starting to sound just like Su Muqing (Su, meaning ‘Awaken’, and Muqing, meaning ‘Clear Willow’)?

“It’s fine, I can handle myself,” Shen Yifei said casually.

Liu Xiaoxiao bit her pearly teeth, feeling a sudden need to impart some common sense to Shen Yifei. She quickly said, “You can handle it? Just because you’re a good fighter? Let me ask you this: if they have guns next time, don’t tell me you can stop bullets! The underworld (the shadow world of criminal organizations) is not something you can imagine. If things escalate, it’s not just you who’ll be in danger; it’ll drag Xiao Xue (meaning ‘Little Snow’, a term of endearment for Su Muqing) into it too.”

Shen Yifei rubbed his nose, grumbling, “Xiaoxiao, I thought you were worried about *me*. Turns out you’re just worried about Silly Girl (Xiao Xue).”

“I…” Liu Xiaoxiao was instantly speechless, her pretty face flushing crimson. Finally, she managed to squeeze out, “What’s wrong with worrying about Xiao Xue?”

“Alright, alright, I’ll be careful,” Shen Yifei sighed, a strange, somewhat sour feeling lingering in his heart.

Her true feelings unsaid, Liu Xiaoxiao also felt a stifling frustration. ‘Wasn’t this beauty worried about *you* too, you idiot?’ she fumed internally.

Reaching the parking area by the roadside, Liu Xiaoxiao pulled open her car door, only to see Shen Yifei walking straight past. Unable to stop herself, she called out, “Aren’t you getting in?”

From a distance, Shen Yifei called back, “I drove my own car.”

The two returned home, having picked up some takeout from a casual street food stall (a common, open-air eatery offering quick, affordable meals) on the way.

“Xiaoxiao, where did you go? I was worried sick!” Su Muqing exclaimed, patting her delicate chest in relief.

Liu Xiaoxiao felt a wave of grievance. “Xiao Xue,” she pouted, “I almost didn’t make it back.”

“What happened? What’s going on?” Su Muqing quickly pressed.

As inseparable best friends who shared everything, Liu Xiaoxiao didn’t hold back, recounting the entire incident to Su Muqing.

Su Muqing was startled, never imagining Liu Xiaoxiao would encounter such an ordeal.

“Since it’s over, don’t think too much about it,” Su Muqing comforted her.

Liu Xiaoxiao hummed a soft “hmm,” then frowned. “Xiao Xue, what do you think Shen Yifei… actually is?”

“Why are you suddenly asking about that?” Su Muqing looked slightly stunned.

“Never mind, pretend I didn’t ask.” Liu Xiaoxiao shook her head. She just felt that Shen Yifei was no ordinary man, but she was intensely curious as to why he would act as Su Muqing’s bodyguard.

The two women chatted on the sofa while Shen Yifei took a shower in the bathroom, then lay down on his bed and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, with the sun already high in the sky (meaning late morning), Shen Yifei finally awoke.

It was the weekend.

Su Muqing had woken early, already in the living room, handling business on her laptop.

“My egg noodles! Hurry, try them!” Liu Xiaoxiao said, eagerly presenting a bowl of noodles.

Su Muqing stared at the mushy, almost indistinguishable egg noodles, utterly speechless. She even found herself somewhat impressed with Liu Xiaoxiao; to make a bowl of egg noodles *this* bad truly required a unique kind of skill.

“Ahem… Is this… edible?” Shen Yifei asked, his brow twitching slightly.

Liu Xiaoxiao’s face clouded with displeasure. “Are you discriminating against me that much?” she huffed. “I think these noodles turned out quite well!”

“If *you* think they’re good, then *you* eat them. I’m going out to buy breakfast,” Shen Yifei called back.

“Shen Yifei, what do you mean by that? Are you looking down on me?”

In a burst of indignation, Liu Xiaoxiao brought the egg noodles directly in front of Shen Yifei, picked up a strand with her chopsticks, and thrust it towards his mouth. “Open up, right now!”

Shen Yifei, utterly speechless, reluctantly opened his mouth and took a small bite.

“Well?” Liu Xiaoxiao blinked, her face alight with expectation.

“This time, it’s actually… edible,” Shen Yifei chuckled.

“See! I told you!” Liu Xiaoxiao’s lips curved into a triumphant smile, her mood instantly brightening.

“But I’m too lazy to eat it. You can have it all yourself,” Shen Yifei added.

“Shen Yifei, you scoundrel!” Liu Xiaoxiao’s pretty face turned green then white (flushed with anger, then paling in disbelief).

Su Muqing watched Shen Yifei and Liu Xiaoxiao bickering, finding it surprisingly amusing, yet also sensing something was slightly off. Had their relationship… improved quite a bit?

Come to think of it, hadn't that mischievous imp (a playful, slightly exasperated term for Liu Xiaoxiao) always despised Shen Yifei? Why had her attitude suddenly shifted so dramatically? And why was she so diligently making him egg noodles?

Something was definitely afoot! Tonight, she would have to thoroughly interrogate that little imp.

As Su Muqing pondered this, Liu Xiaoxiao’s own little mind was similarly occupied with thoughts of Shen Yifei.

The thought of Shen Yifei swindling a million from her last time still filled Liu Xiaoxiao with indignant frustration. However, he had promised her one favor, and she hadn’t claimed it yet. She needed to carefully consider what demand to make him agree to.

“Swiftwind Express Delivery! Miss Su, you have a package!”

A shout echoed from outside the villa.

“Alright.” Su Muqing rose and walked out the front door, a flicker of curiosity in her heart. She hadn’t ordered anything online, so why would a package be delivered to her?