"I was just afraid you'd be startled," Lin Chudong said with an innocent expression. "That's why I lay down beside you to keep you company, but I ended up falling asleep after a little while."
"Don't worry, the place I lay down was quite far from you. My sleeping posture didn't affect you, did it?"
Qin Wei opened her mouth, hesitated for a long time, and finally swallowed her words.
"No."
"Then you can't get into my bed in the future either!"
It seemed that after this fellow had fallen asleep, the two of them must have instinctively embraced each other.
Since he didn't know what had happened just now, could it really be considered taking advantage of her?
Seeing Qin Wei's expression, Lin Chudong chuckled inwardly; sometimes she was quite easy to fool.
"By the way, do you have anything on you that might attract assassins?"
Qin Wei frowned deeply.
"I don't have anything particularly valuable. Could it be a business competitor?"
Judging by Qin Wei's reaction, she didn't seem to be faking it; her expression was quite natural.
Lin Chudong felt a bit puzzled. Could Chen Jiayu have lied to him again?
"Weiwei, think carefully. Do you have anything very unique that might attract other people?"
Qin Wei frowned, a trace of contemplation showing on her face. After thinking for a long time, she shook her head.
"No..."
Lin Chudong said, "Weiwei, you'd better think this through. This concerns your personal safety."
Qin Wei pondered for a moment. "If I really have to name something, the only thing would be what my grandfather gave me..."
As if suddenly remembering something, Qin Wei glanced at Lin Chudong and immediately clamped her mouth shut.
"What is it?"
"Nothing, just some battered antiques."
When Qin Wei said this, she made a few minor gestures and micro-expressions. As an expert in interrogation, Lin Chudong could tell at a glance that she was lying.
Since she was determined to lie, pressing her further would certainly get him nowhere.
He was a bit curious: why was Qin Wei lying?
Judging by her initial reaction, she hadn't seemed to remember what the object was at first.
It was only when she suddenly recalled it that she realized she couldn't tell him about it.
What kind of secrets could Qin Wei possibly have?
Something left behind by her grandfather?
Lin Chudong pretended nothing was wrong, asked a few casual questions, and then dropped the subject.
Better not to raise Qin Wei's guard by talking about it too much.
Yet, his intuition told him that whatever Qin Wei's grandfather had left behind was undoubtedly the key to the whole mystery.
What on earth could it be that made Qin Wei disregard her own safety?
At that moment, Lin Chudong's phone rang with a ding.
Captain Su had sent him a WeChat message to urge him on.
He had previously promised Su Momo to assist her with a case, and she was already on her way to pick him up.
Qin Wei didn't want to chat with Lin Chudong any longer, lest she give away any flaws.
"Alright, I have work to attend to."
With that, Qin Wei turned around, walked into her study, and shut the door firmly behind her, followed by the sound of locks turning.
Lin Chudong shrugged. It seemed Qin Wei still had secrets of her own.
He would find an opportunity to probe her again after some time.
After Lin Chudong left, Qin Wei squatted down inside her study.
At the very bottom of the bookshelf, she opened a hidden compartment.
Inside the compartment sat a metal box, square and entirely black, made of solid metal.
It was a strange box with no visible opening, appearing like a completely sealed block of metal.
Her grandfather had handed this over to her with repeated and solemn warnings: she must never give this to anyone, nor tell a single soul about it.
If one day her grandfather died, she was to hand it directly to the State Security Bureau.
Although her grandfather was currently out of contact, that didn't mean he was dead.
Therefore, she could not tell anyone about this item.
Qin Wei hurriedly put the object back and restored the compartment to its original condition.
This was her biggest secret—one she couldn't even share with Lin Chudong.
Lin Chudong wasn't in any particular rush regarding Qin Wei's affairs.
After all, he still had time, and if Qin Wei truly refused to speak, he could always approach the matter through her grandfather's end.
Before heading out, Lin Chudong went to the garage first, opened the trunk, and seeing that Chen Jiayu was still lying quietly inside, he nodded with satisfaction.
Taking out an iodine-soaked cotton swab, he lifted the hem of her skirt once again.
Chen Jiayu glared at him fiercely.
This bastard was simply too much!
Lifting a woman's skirt at every turn—it was utterly base and shameless!
Lin Chudong ignored her.
He went about applying the iodine disinfectant to her wounds on his own.
The sight of Chen Jiayu's fair thighs was dazzling enough to make it hard for him to keep his eyes open.
After treating her wound and closing the car trunk, Lin Chudong walked over to the entrance.
Su Momo had been waiting for quite a while.
"Captain Su, if there's anything you need my help with, just say the word."
Su Momo said, "Explain those three assassins first."
"Who the hell was behind them?"
Lin Chudong shrugged. "I don't know."
"You don't know? Then how did you determine that the three of them were assassins?"
"Director Deng told me."
"Director Deng?"
Su Momo frowned.
The relationship between Director Deng and Lin Chudong was definitely unusual.
She had already checked the records of this guy's parents.
They were merely two ordinary scientific researchers who had tragically fallen off a cliff five years ago.
One could say that the current Lin Chudong was essentially an orphan.
With no power and no influence, why would Director Deng value him so much?
Could the two of them be related?
"What on earth is your relationship with Director Deng?" Su Momo asked mysteriously.
Lin Chudong replied, "Kiss me once and I'll tell you."
"Pfft! I don't care to know anyway!"
Director Deng had specifically instructed her not to meddle in Lin Chudong's affairs.
Therefore, even though Lin Chudong had provided the information on those three assassins, and she desperately wanted to drag him back for interrogation, doing so would probably just bring Director Deng and Mayor Ma down on her again.
"What do you need my help with today?"
Su Momo said, "It's not a high-difficulty mission."
"This time, we received a tip about a spy. We originally planned to arrest him, but he holed up inside a bathhouse."
"This intelligence came directly from my informant and I haven't told anyone else."
"I suspect there's a mole inside the Law Enforcement Team, so I wanted to find an outsider to help."
Lin Chudong said, "You want me to make the arrest? Isn't that dangerous?"
Su Momo rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Are you really this cowardly? Don't worry, I'm not asking you to make the arrest. You just need to lure him out for me."
Su Momo was utterly speechless.
This man had previously sworn up and down that she could count on him if she needed help.
What kind of help could he possibly offer?
He was cowardly to the core!
If it weren't for the fact that she currently couldn't trust any of her own subordinates, she would never have asked him.
The two of them arrived at the Fenglin Bathhouse.
After changing their shoes, Su Momo opened a private room and told Lin Chudong, "I'll wait for you in room 202."
"Understood."
Lin Chudong took off his clothes and walked into the bath area like any regular customer.
There weren't many people in the baths, and as soon as he stepped inside, his eyes locked onto a particular target.
It was a middle-aged man with a sharp-nosed, monkey-cheeked face and a very short stature.
At that moment, he was lying on a lounge chair by the bath, playing on his phone.
Perhaps knowing that Su Momo was after him, he was hiding out here because it was relatively safe.
Lin Chudong suddenly felt he looked a bit familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
Sitting down right next to him, Lin Chudong pulled out a cigarette and said, "Brother, got a light?"
The man immediately tensed up.
"You're smoking before even soaking for a bit?"
Lin Chudong smiled faintly. "I'm used to it."
The man handed over his lighter and immediately turned to walk away.
Lin Chudong narrowed his eyes.
It really was him!
This was a mid-level operative of a certain intelligence organization.
Normally he survived by trafficking intelligence between various countries, and his sharpness was second to none compared to those professional assassins.
Lin Chudong had laid eyes on this fellow once before; he seemed to go by the alias Langya, though they had only crossed paths briefly last time.
Seeing him now, the guy really was as cunning as rumored.
Lin Chudong gave chase and threw an arm around his shoulders.
"Langya, don't rush off. We're old friends, don't tell me you don't recognize me?"
Turning back to glance at Lin Chudong, a flicker of sheer terror appeared on Langya's face.
"Who are you?"
...
Five minutes later, Langya was politely lighting a cigarette for Lin Chudong.
"Mr. Lin, it was my eyes that were blind to Mount Tai."
"I truly didn't recognize it was you."
"I swear, I haven't done a single thing against the country. Please spare my life this once."
Lin Chudong took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled a plume of smoke.
"What you've done is none of my business. I'm just helping the Law Enforcement Team make an arrest."
Langya's face twisted in agony. "Mr. Lin, if I get taken in by the Law Enforcement Team, I'm afraid I'll never come out alive."
"If you keep me around, I can still help you gather intelligence, right?"
Langya had finally hit the nail on the head.
If it weren't for the fact that he was still useful, Lin Chudong would have dragged him out and handed him over to Su Momo long ago.
"I can spare you."
"I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself through meritorious service."
"If you complete the task I give you, I can put in a good word with the superiors and have you registered as my informant."
Upon hearing this, Langya was instantly overjoyed.
He had long wanted to wash his hands of this business and go straight, but with so many agents from the State Security Bureau watching him, he had no way out.
However, he knew that Lin Chudong's status was far from ordinary.
If he could become an informant for Lin Chudong and perform meritorious service, he was bound to receive leniency down the line.
"Mr. Lin, just name it. As long as it's within my power, I will go through fire and water without hesitation."
Lin Chudong pulled a sheet of paper from a dossier and handed it to him.
"Here is a case about an elderly couple who fell off a cliff. Without me spelling it out, you should be able to dig it up—these are my parents."
"Find out if there was anything hidden behind this case."
Langya took the document, read through it carefully, and then nodded.
"I will definitely get you answers within a month."
"There's one more thing."
Lin Chudong said in a low voice, "Qin Wei, the CEO of Starfish Pharmaceuticals—I want detailed files on her grandfather."
"The information I want isn't just the surface-level stuff. Dig up everything you possibly can."
"If I find that the information you bring back is useless, you know the consequences."
"If you don't want to live that fugitive life of running from pillar to post anymore, your only lifeline now is me."
Langya nodded.
"Rest assured, Mr. Lin. This isn't too difficult; I would never dare use this opportunity to run away."
Lin Chudong nodded.
He wagered the man wouldn't dare run either.
This was Langya's only chance to turn things around, and he would certainly cling to it.
As an intelligence broker, a task like this shouldn't stump him.
"Do you have any intelligence documents on you right now that I can take back to report on?"
Su Momo wasn't that easy to fool. If he let Langya go empty-handed, there was a good chance that woman would go berserk.
Langya opened his locker, took out a file bag, and handed it to Lin Chudong.
"These are some intelligence reports that haven't been sold yet. They should be enough to satisfy your superiors."
Lin Chudong nodded. "Alright, then I'll provide cover for you to leave."
"The Law Enforcement Team captain is in a room upstairs. I'll go keep her occupied, and you find a way to slip out."
Lin Chudong changed into a sauna robe and headed up to the guest rooms on the upper floor.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Su Momo was currently waiting in the room without even having changed her clothes.
Lin Chudong paused for a second. "Why didn't you go take a bath?"
Su Momo frowned. "Why would I take a bath when we're dealing with official business?"
A suggestive smile spread across Lin Chudong's face. "This is official business we're talking about. No bath? Well, never mind, not bathing is fine too."
Lin Chudong took off his upper garment, revealing his muscular torso, and began walking toward Su Momo step by step.
Su Momo instantly frowned, a sense of ominous foreboding rising in her chest.
"What are you doing?"
Lin Chudong spread his hands and said with a straight face, "What do you think? Didn't you ask me to open a room?"
Su Momo's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Open my ass! I told you to go complete a mission, and then come find me here! What on earth are you thinking?"
Lin Chudong said, "Don't go back on your word now. You're the one who invited me out, and the front desk downstairs can verify we booked a room."
"What else would a woman inviting a man to a hotel room be doing?"
Su Momo was completely dumbfounded. What kind of brain did Lin Chudong have?
Did he only have romantic matters on the brain?
When she asked Lin Chudong to come up to the upper-floor room, it was simply because it was inconvenient for her to enter the men's bath area and she needed a place to debrief.
What was running through this guy's head all day long?
"I'm telling you—"
Before Su Momo could finish her sentence, Lin Chudong lunged forward, grabbed her, and pinned her onto the bed.
Su Momo's eyes widened in shock as she let out a gasp. "Have you lost your mind?!"
Lin Chudong pressed down on top of her, greedily inhaling the scent of her skin. "Any man seeing a woman like you would lose his mind."
That sounded almost like a compliment.
Su Momo's face flushed crimson as she shoved hard against him. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
"Where is the person I told you to catch!"
Lin Chudong said, "Not until you give me some perks."
Su Momo's wrists were pinned against the bed by Lin Chudong.
Usually possessing boundless strength, Su Momo suddenly felt as though all her energy had deserted her.
Why was this bastard so strong?
He usually looked cowardly as hell, yet when it came to bullying women he was suddenly so capable—simply despicable!
Lin Chudong's lips pressed against her neck, sending a jolt like an electric current through Su Momo's entire body as she thrashed her hands frantically.
"You bastard, let go of me!"
Lin Chudong raised his head. "Why are you yelling? You'll call someone else over in a minute. Didn't you say you wanted a room?"
"You're out of your mind! I told you to bring the suspect! Where is he?"
"Kiss me once, and I'll tell you."
"Get lost, keep dreaming."
The last time the two of them had chased down a fugitive in a car, they had shared a brief moment of ambiguous tension.
Over the past two days, Su Momo had caught herself dreaming about that day's events from time to time.
She had even dreamt of romance and marriage, and every single time, the male lead in her dreams was this bastard Lin Chudong.
At that thought, Su Momo's face turned fiery red, and she felt so mortified she wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.
It was all his fault!
If it hadn't been for that terrible idea he pulled that day, how could it have left such a massive psychological shadow on her?
Though she wasn't even sure if this counted as a psychological shadow...
Because when she had those dreams, the feeling was actually quite nice...
Su Momo was very confident in her appearance, and Lin Chudong's current reaction could be considered a form of validation.
All women enjoyed being praised for their looks.
But this wasn't the time for that!
Why did she always have the feeling that this bastard had alternative motives?
At that exact moment, with a loud *bang*, the door was kicked wide open.
Two men walked into the room holding handcuffs.
"Don't move, anti-vice squad."
"Squat on the ground, hands behind your heads."
Lin Chudong hurriedly stood up, raised his hands, and obediently squatted down on the floor.
Su Momo's eyes bulged in fury as she snapped, "I am Su Momo, captain of the Law Enforcement Team!"
The two officers paused for a moment.
"Please show your identification."
Su Momo frowned. "Didn't bring it."
"Then please squat down with your hands behind your head!"
With no other choice, Su Momo squatted down next to Lin Chudong, glaring daggers at him while grinding her teeth in rage.
...
Twenty minutes later, members of the Law Enforcement Team arrived at the anti-vice bureau.
At that moment, Su Momo's subordinates were all struggling to hold back their laughter.
Tian Kai, the captain of the anti-vice squad, shook hands with Su Momo and said, "Captain Su, I'm truly sorry. We received a public tip-off."
"We had no idea we'd run into you and your boyfriend. These boys didn't know any better; seeing the two of you being intimate, they assumed it was... well, you know. Our apologies. I'll treat you to a drink sometime to make up for it."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Su Momo's face flushed bright red.
The members of the Law Enforcement Team looked at each other as if they had just caught wind of a major news scoop, their eyes filled with curiosity.
The captain was being intimate with this man inside a private room?
If they hadn't been caught red-handed, things wouldn't have blown up into such a big deal.
Since when had Captain Su become boyfriend and girlfriend with this guy?
Things were moving way too fast!
The gazes directed at Lin Chudong by the team members were filled with undisguised envy.
Winning over Captain Su was the stuff of their wildest dreams.
Unfortunately, none of them even had the guts to pursue Su Momo; they could only sneakily fantasize about it at home at night.
And yet, Lin Chudong had actually pulled it off.
Having secured Officer Su, nutritional needs for their future kids were the least of his worries, to say the least.
Su Momo's expression at the moment was utterly unsightly.
This Captain Tian really had no filter; he would blurt out anything!
Intimate? Was that intimacy? She had been sexually harassed by Lin Chudong, thank you very much!
And who on earth was that bastard informant who tipped them off, managing to report them with such uncanny precision?
"Captain Su, then we won't see you out."
After the group left, a hint of suspicion lingered on Tian Kai's face.
Why did the voice of Captain Su's boyfriend sound so much like the person who made the tip-off call earlier?
...
Walking out of the anti-vice bureau, Su Momo said, "You guys head back first, I have things to take care of."
After the Law Enforcement Team members left, Lin Chudong walked over and pulled open the passenger-side door to get in.
Suddenly, Su Momo marched straight over to the passenger side as well, yanked the door open, and squeezed right inside.
She sat down squarely on Lin Chudong's lap, facing him.
Accompanied by a wave of fragrant wind, Su Momo's elbow slammed hard against Lin Chudong's neck.
With a forceful pull from Su Momo, the chair back tilted sharply backward.
Her forearm pressed against Lin Chudong's throat, cutting off his air supply and bringing a sudden sensation of suffocation.
"Did you do that on purpose? Trying to ruin things for me?"
Lin Chudong fished a file bag out from the side.
"I didn't... I was just thinking of giving you a surprise."
"The guy got away, but I snatched this from his hands."