Chapter 95: Romance in the living room (Part-1)
Zhi Yan’s expression softened as she stroked the pup’s fur. "Oh, that’s a wonderful name... Xuan Hei..." she murmured, lips curving into a smile. The little wolf wagged its tail once, almost as if pleased with her approval.
Lin Fang watched quietly, then drew in a slow breath. His voice broke the comfortable silence. "Yan’er... actually, I want to talk to you about something. It’s important."
The words made Li Liu freeze.
Her heart skipped for a moment, her hand tightening around the armrest. Panic crawled up her spine as her thoughts raced. No... not here. He can’t possibly—
In a rush, she leaned forward and grabbed Zhi Yan’s arm. "You two must be exhausted after today," Li Liu said quickly, forcing a casual smile. "Why not let her go freshen up first? We can talk during dinner."
Zhi Yan blinked at the sudden interruption. Her eyes lowered to Li Liu’s hand gripping her. For a brief moment, silence hung in the air.
Then, Zhi Yan gave a gentle pat on Li Liu’s arm, her tone soft but firm. "It’s alright."
She turned back to Lin Fang, her eyes steady. "In fact, I also have something important to talk about."
Her words landed heavier than intended, making Li Liu’s chest tighten.
"Go freshen up first," Zhi Yan added calmly, dismissing Li Liu without looking.
Li Liu’s face stiffened. The air around her grew tight as her thoughts stirred a storm of unease.
Lin Fang glanced between them, his gaze lingering briefly on Li Liu—long enough to catch the tension in her shoulders—before settling back on Zhi Yan. His lips curved into a small smile, and he shook his head.
"It’s actually not that important," he said lightly. "On my way home, I stopped by the guild... and saw that it was destroyed."
The words landed with weight. Both women froze. "Eh?"
Lin Fang’s eyes narrowed, his tone calm but sharp as a blade. "I just want to know... where my master went."
Li Liu let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, relief softening her stiff shoulders.
Across from her, Zhi Yan blinked, then let out a small laugh. "Oh... It’s just that." She waved her hand lightly, as though brushing away unnecessary tension. "Actually, I do know something about it."
Lin Fang’s brows rose. "You do?"
"Mm." Zhi Yan leaned back slightly, her tone casual but steady. "Yesterday—while you were in the hospital—I heard that Li Xue’s beast lost control. It rampaged and destroyed everything. Almost the entire Sector 14 was affected. Heard there were a few casualties."
Lin Fang’s eyes widened a fraction. "Betty...?"
When he went to the guild earlier in the morning, based on the destruction caused around, it did seem like it had gone through a battle, but he hadn’t expected that a level-49 beast like that white cat would go on a rampage. No wonder Li Chengfeng and Li Xue were gone with their contacts off. They might be wanted by the police now.
"Oh, and also..."
Zhi Yan reached into her purse, her fingers brushing past a few items before pulling out something small and metallic. She placed it on the coffee table—a plain pendrive, its surface catching the light.
"This was sent to the store yesterday," she explained. "Heard that Master Li visited the store while you were away and passed a message along with this pendrive. He said Li Xue was injured... her family was furious. He was taking her back. And..." Zhi Yan’s eyes flicked to Lin Fang’s, searching his face. "...he said they will never return again."
Lin Fang leaned forward, staring at the pendrive in silence. His jaw tightened. After a pause, he asked quietly, "How... is she?"
Zhi Yan shrugged lightly. "Based on Master Li’s words, she seemed fine enough."
Her voice faltered just slightly at the end, and after a brief silence, she hesitated. Then, slowly, she continued, her tone lower this time. "Actually... we also found some information."
Lin Fang lifted his head, meeting her eyes.
Zhi Yan’s fingers tightened on her knee as she said it: "About who was behind your assassination attempt."
Lin Fang’s voice dropped low, steady. "Who?"
Zhi Yan didn’t hesitate. "Ashborne Guild."
Lin Fang’s brow furrowed. "Ashborne...?"
"You can say it’s a dark guild," Zhi Yan explained, folding her hands together on her lap. "They don’t operate like regular guilds. They work with independent assassins, and all of them have only one contact—called the Bartender."
Lin Fang leaned back slowly, absorbing every word.
"Basically," she continued, "clients meet the Bartender, the Bartender assigns the job. That’s it. No records, no accountability. The police actually traced the Bartender, but..." She shook her head with a tired sigh. "He slipped away before they could catch him. Since he isn’t registered in the system, and there’s no official guild residence, tracking them down is... close to impossible. For now, it’s a dead end."
Her voice quieted at the last line.
Lin Fang blinked, genuinely surprised. "It’s only been two days, and the police already had a lead?" He tilted his head, a faint frown settling on his face. "I didn’t know they moved that fast."
His tone said clearly—he didn’t buy it.
Zhi Yan’s lips curved, though her eyes stayed steady on him. "Let’s just say... I used my family’s influence to fast-track their efforts."
There was a short silence.
Then Lin Fang exhaled softly, his expression easing as he met her gaze. "Thank you."
Lin Fang reached forward, his fingers brushing the cool metal of the pendrive before slipping it into his pocket.
Zhi Yan stood from the couch, smoothing her skirt lightly as her gaze shifted toward Li Liu. "Do you want to freshen up first?" she asked.
Li Liu forced a small smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You go ahead."
"Mm." Zhi Yan nodded, then disappeared down the hallway. A soft click echoed when her door shut and locked.
The moment the sound faded, Li Liu let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and sank down onto the couch. Xuan Hei, the wolf pup, bounded lightly onto her lap. A chuckle slipped from her lips as she scratched behind his ears.
From the side, Lin Fang leaned closer, his voice dropping into a quiet murmur. "Did you really think I was about to reveal us?"
Li Liu’s hand stilled on Xuan Hei’s fur. Heat crept up her cheeks as she looked away, pretending to focus on the pup. "Well... you said it was important," she muttered under her breath.
Lin Fang’s lips curved in that infuriatingly calm smile. "Well, our secret isn’t that important though."
That made her snap her gaze back to him, her eyes sharp. "Not important?"
Instead of answering, Lin Fang tilted his head and reached out, his hand cupping her cheek. The touch made her heartbeat stutter. A mischievous crept to his lips as he said. "It’s super important."
Then his lips brushed against hers in a swift, teasing kiss, turning her cheeks deep red.
When he pulled back, his voice carried a low warmth. "Because you were the one who asked me."
Her blush deepened, but she still scolded him instead, "Are you trying to get us caught? We’re still in the living room."
"So what?" Lin Fang chuckled, the corner of his mouth curling into something mischievous. His eyes gleamed playfully as he leaned closer, lowering his voice into her ear. "Maybe... you’d rather do this in my bedroom?"
Her entire face burned, and she jerked her head, stammering, "Stop it!"
Xuan Hei gave a small huff as he leapt off her lap, almost like it knew what was coming.
Before Li Liu could stand properly, Lin Fang’s hand caught her arm. In one tug, her body tipped forward, falling into him. His arm slid naturally around her waist, holding her firmly against his chest as she ended up sitting across his lap.
Her breath hitched, her palms braced against his shoulders. "Lin Fang..."
His grin widened...