Chapter Ninety-Four: Lin Capital I

At dawn, it was once again Boss Kim who rose first. Early that morning, he was already in the garden watering the plants, with two bodyguards standing respectfully at his side. Truly, these were people who slept early and rose early.

Still, waking up at dawn did feel wonderfully refreshing; even the air seemed clearer. Mo Lan stretched, glanced at An Feng, and smiled softly, as if bathed in spring sunshine.

The four little ones were awake as well, each rubbing at their heads as they sat around the breakfast table. Dong, bleary-eyed, asked, “What happened last night?”

“Nothing,” Mo Lan said with a smile, serving each of them a bowl of porridge. Old Master Mo and Elder Xian did not eat breakfast with them; usually, they had theirs in Elder Xian’s courtyard.

“Eat up quickly. It’s time to set out. And you four little ones, remember to guard the house well,” Mo Lan continued. Qian Yin nodded in agreement beside her. The four little ones had been bound to this place now; without orders, they could not be taken out at will.

Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei all nodded. Though they very much wanted to go out, they had to remain here. A year would pass quickly enough. When that year was over, wherever Qian Yin went, they would have to follow.

Boss Kim found these four little ones quite pleasing and had even considered keeping them by his side. But seeing how reluctant they were to part from Qian Yin, was he supposed to keep Qian Yin too? Would Leng Xue not beat him to death?

At that thought, he cast a furtive glance at Leng Xue, only to realize Leng Xue had not noticed at all; he was quietly drinking his porridge, unconcerned with anything else.

An Feng was calm and steady, watching the larger picture, everything firmly within his grasp. He understood the thoughts of many present, knew them all in his heart, and knew exactly who mattered most.

After breakfast was finished and farewells were exchanged with reluctance, the group set off for Lin City. Only when the little one saw the car disappear from view did he unwillingly make his way back to Elder Xian’s courtyard, where he would resume the same tasks he repeated every day. It had already been quite some time since he last went gathering herbs.

He was going to be baked black again. After finally having rested for a few days, he had only just begun to regain some color. This job was not easy at all; he was practically becoming a country boy. The four little ones trudged sadly toward Elder Xian’s courtyard.

Leng Xue held Qian Yin’s hand. This time, they had driven out in three cars in total, just to avoid a situation where there would not be enough vehicles later. Two people in one car—this was the perfect moment for a private world of their own.

Leng Xue had originally wanted to bring up the matter of Lin City, but after thinking about it, decided against it. So long as he protected her well and got through this year, perhaps there would still be a future. Thinking any further now might only lead nowhere.

Qian Yin noticed that Leng Xue always seemed to have something he wanted to say, as though the words were always stopping just short of his lips. She found it rather strange. But she did not want to force him. Whatever he wanted to say, let it come naturally; one day, she would hear it.

The scenery along the road was truly lovely, so beautiful. Lin City was indeed a charming place. On the way there, flowers and grasses could be seen everywhere, fragrant blossoms drifting through the air, birds and insects flitting about in all directions.

“This place is really beautiful,” Mo Lan exclaimed in admiration. Such flowers and grasses were not found in the city.

“Why don’t we get out and take some pictures?” Seeing the look on her face, An Feng knew she wanted to stop and snap photos. Besides, it was a good chance to have some time alone—to experience what it was like for a modern affectionate little couple to date.

Mo Lan widened her eyes. “Can we?” She truly did want to get out, but it felt a little wasteful to leave Qian Yin and the others behind. Still, since they would be taking the same route to Lin City anyway, playing along the way for half a day should be fine.

So they found a place where they could park, got out of the car, and walked to the roadside to take photos. There were many passing vehicles and many people watching them. Though quite a few others had thought of stopping too, like them, in the end no one got out.

Mo Lan found a very pretty spot, handed her phone to An Feng, and said, “Take a few pictures for me.” It was time to live a normal person’s life for a while.

An Feng nodded and took the phone, only to find that the wallpaper was a photo of Qian Yin and Mo Lan together. The two girls were truly close; while others hung up photos of their partners, these two had gone and set a sisterly picture instead.

The photo on An Feng’s own phone was of himself. Though a bit narcissistic, he had yet to find anyone handsomer than him.

He fiddled with the phone for a bit before realizing his photography skills were abysmal. Even though the phone could capture Mo Lan’s beauty, something was still missing from the picture. No matter what, a photo could never compare to the real person.

Mo Lan struck pose after pose for him to capture, and An Feng dutifully took each shot, but the person in the photos looked nothing like Mo Lan at all. The skin was somewhat dark, the figure a little short, and the dark circles from staying up late made things even worse. At first glance, the person in the picture was plainly not Mo Lan. It was ugly.

Mo Lan felt that was enough, then came over to take back the phone. Her face darkened immediately. Could this man even take a proper photo? It was terribly ugly. If she sent this out, who would dare say that this old woman was her?

She took a deep breath in and out several times, consoling herself that it was fine—boys usually did not know how to take pictures.

“I know it’s not very satisfactory. Even I’m not pleased with it. My skills are just like this, so don’t mind,” An Feng said at once, very aware of himself, and apologized right away.

Mo Lan shook her head, pulled him over, and simply prepared to take a selfie. Their heads were very close together; since An Feng was taller than Mo Lan, she pressed tightly against his chest. Taken like this, they truly looked like a handsome man and a beautiful woman. Clearly, however, Mo Lan’s skills were much better, and the people in the photo finally showed their looks to good effect.

Seeing the photo, An Feng nodded. Indeed, girls’ photography skills were like those of professional photographers, unlike the clumsy hands of boys.

“Let’s use this photo as our phone wallpaper,” An Feng suggested. Since the two of them were a couple now, they should show a little affection. Besides, he was rather displeased to see Qian Yin occupying his place.

Mo Lan was stunned when she heard this. So he had noticed. She nodded. “Sure.” After setting it, she sent a copy to An Feng.

Once An Feng had finished setting it, the two of them looked up, and suddenly a very conspicuous car drove straight past them. The person in the driver’s seat looked strangely familiar—wasn’t that the flower thief? Why was he here?

And why was his car covered up as well? Was it really being ignored all the way through, or were Liu Fei and Xiao Qi simply too busy to deal with it?

At that thought, An Feng immediately took out his phone and called the police chief.

“I’ve seen the group wearing masks. I’ll handle this matter myself. There are a lot of covered cars roaming around the city lately. Send Liu Fei and Xiao Qi to deal with it.”

After hearing this, the police chief immediately issued the orders, without asking whether An Feng could handle it or whether he needed reinforcements. In his eyes, An Feng was all-powerful; anything entrusted to him would certainly end in a satisfactory result. He had no intention of interfering.

After hanging up, An Feng immediately got into the car with Mo Lan and prepared to chase after that vehicle. If there was a chance to stop it, then naturally it was necessary to ask everything clearly.

In the car ahead, not only was the flower thief present, but Han was there too. Han had done it on purpose.