“Thank you for saving me.” It’s necessary to express gratitude when it’s due.
Huo Ai nodded slightly in response, and the two maintained a polite demeanor.
Dong Enyu shifted her position, propping a pillow behind her back as if preparing for a long conversation.
After resolving her inner conflict, she felt quite relieved.
She wanted to smoke, but Huo Ai had tossed the cigarette pack far away, causing Dong Enyu to raise an eyebrow in mild dissatisfaction.
A sudden change had brought them closer, and Dong Enyu never imagined she would one day sit with Huo Ai, talking like friends.
“What do you plan for me to repay this favor?” Dong Enyu brushed her hair off her shoulder and looked up calmly.
Are we going to call it even? She had given up before, and now she had saved her, one positive and one negative…
“Be my sixteenth partner,” Huo Ai responded without hesitation.
She had already considered this when she saved Dong Enyu.
The sixteenth… Dong Enyu pursed her lips and tentatively asked, “I’ve disappointed you before, do you still trust me?”
She wasn’t sure what Huo Ai meant.
Since she had messed up before, why would Huo Ai trust her now? But Huo Ai maintained a faint smile and said, “That was the fifteenth partner’s issue, now you’re the sixteenth.”
Fifteen, sixteen… Is there a difference? Aren’t they the same person? Dong Enyu laughed, finding Huo Ai a bit peculiar at times.
“You have no choice,” Huo Ai said, unfazed by Dong Enyu’s laughter, indicating that Dong Enyu had no options.
Everything was up to her.
Dong Enyu shrugged, “Understood.”
She knew the rules of the game; here, she had no choice, like driftwood that could only float with the current.
Dong Enyu’s straightforwardness pleased Huo Ai greatly.
After the conversation ended, Huo Ai untied the belt at her waist, and with a gentle pull, the robe loosened.
From Dong Enyu’s perspective, she could vaguely see the beauty beneath the robe.
When Huo Ai placed a foot on the bed’s edge, Dong Enyu immediately reached out to stop her from getting closer.
The warmth from her palm was so intense…
“Did you forget what the doctor said?” It wasn’t that she was unwilling, but the doctor’s advice came first.
Dong Enyu pushed twice, but Huo Ai didn’t budge.
“I haven’t forgotten,” Huo Ai said as she moved Dong Enyu’s hand away, pinning it above her head.
She leaned in closer, “Just don’t seduce me.”
She shifted the blame entirely, making it all Dong Enyu’s fault for enticing her into committing a crime.
“Oh? When did I seduce Huo Ai?” Dong Enyu chuckled, leaning in to close the distance.
“Now,” Huo Ai released her right hand and lifted Dong Enyu’s chin, “You always look so lonely and in need of love, and you say you haven’t?”
Perhaps joking, perhaps teasing, Huo Ai tilted her head and kissed Dong Enyu’s lower lip, gently nibbling and leaving faint marks.
“Is that so?” The flirtatious act made Dong Enyu quite enjoy it.
“I think it’s Huo Ai’s eyes that have a problem.”
A little flirting shouldn’t count as seduction, right? Dong Enyu broke free from Huo Ai’s hold and wrapped her arms around her neck, “This is what you call seduction, right?” As she spoke, her legs subtly brushed against Huo Ai’s waist, with no clothing in between, their smooth skin touching, the warmth transmitting, the first line of temptation was truly maddening.
“Aren’t you afraid of playing with fire?” Huo Ai grabbed the leg that was rubbing against her waist and whispered in Dong Enyu’s ear.
Playing with fire… Dong Enyu turned her head, pressing against Huo Ai’s ear, and smiled, “That wouldn’t be so bad…”
The next day, as Dong Enyu sat at the dining table with Huo Ai and He Xuan, she felt as if she had been transported to another world…
The same faces, the same attire, but Dong Enyu had walked through the gates of hell, despised and then saved.
Everything felt so familiar yet strange.
“Madam, let me introduce my new partner, Dong Enyu,” Huo Ai said, placing her hands on her long legs and smiling slightly.
Her new partner…
“What? I know that,” He Xuan put down her orange juice, looking at Huo Ai with a strange smile.
“I haven’t gone senile yet.
Why? Last time you said you wanted to replace Enyu and find someone new, but in the end, it’s still Enyu?”
He Xuan was unaware of the complicated details in between.
Compared to Huo Ai’s nonchalance, Dong Enyu felt a bit awkward.
She couldn’t explain the situation to He Xuan, so she quietly ate her breakfast.
Fortunately, He Xuan wasn’t one to pry, and she didn’t pursue the matter.
It wasn’t until halfway through the meal that He Xuan suddenly slowed her actions, her gaze making Dong Enyu look up and meet her eyes.
“Young people shouldn’t play too wildly,” He Xuan said with a smile.
Seeing Dong Enyu’s confused expression, she kindly pointed to her neck.
Dong Enyu immediately covered it with her hand.
Hickeys…
“Sorry for the embarrassment,” Huo Ai had left many marks on her after a night of passion.
For some reason, Huo Ai had a particular fondness for her neck, insisting on leaving marks in the most obvious and attention-grabbing places.
Dong Enyu adjusted her collar, trying to brush it off with a few words, but this only made Huo Ai stop her knife and fork.
“Is this a joke?” A slight glance from Huo Ai made Dong Enyu feel pressured.
What was the purpose of leaving hickeys? Was it care, a declaration? Dong Enyu blinked and shook her head at Huo Ai.
“Although it’s quite embarrassing, I don’t dislike it,” Dong Enyu playfully winked at Huo Ai and whispered, “In fact, I really like it.” Her stance was clear; regardless of the meaning behind the hickeys on her neck, Dong Enyu accepted them gladly.
Perhaps the wink was too obvious, as He Xuan raised an eyebrow, her gaze quickly darting between her two capable subordinates.
She had a realization.
“Are you two together?” He Xuan’s question made Dong Enyu choke on her drink.
Unexpectedly, Huo Ai’s response was even more surprising, her husky voice softly saying, “Just sleeping together.”
Sleeping together…
Dong Enyu’s face turned slightly pale.
She didn’t know how He Xuan viewed same-sex relationships, nor did she know if she minded her making a move on Manager Huo.
Just as Dong Enyu was about to brush it off casually, He Xuan suddenly burst into laughter, her voice echoing in the private dining room.
“It seems Huo Ai really values you! This is a great opportunity, make the most of it!” He Xuan enthusiastically patted Dong Enyu’s back, like an elder encouraging a junior.
Dong Enyu’s cheeks flushed slightly, all from holding back a breath.
“Yes, thanks to you, I’ll definitely work well with Manager Huo,” she awkwardly scratched her head, exchanging a glance with Huo Ai.
A brief look.
Dong Enyu noticed the curve of Huo Ai’s lips, so natural…
In the afternoon, Huo Ai arranged for a driver to take Mrs. He shopping, while she and Dong Enyu headed to Haijiao Headquarters.
In the conference room, the projector displayed a series of photos, all taken by Huo Ai’s bodyguards in secret, related to Wutang.
They included candid shots of Yong Le and Luo Ye conducting transactions, as well as business photos of several entertainment venues under Wutang, but none were useful.
Too normal…
No fights, no illegal transactions…
“It’s all garbage,” Huo Ai casually tossed aside the projector remote, leaning back in her leather chair.
Dong Enyu didn’t express any opinion on this.
“This time, I went out to sea and picked up a batch of arms,” Huo Ai began to confess to Dong Enyu out of nowhere, causing her to tense up instantly.
She slowed her breathing, trying to keep her expression from changing too much.
“As far as I know, Wutang has been directly purchasing weapons from overseas military groups since its founding, but times have changed.
With intense maritime defense and competition from peers, it’s only natural that Wutang is heading towards a crisis,” Huo Ai paused, pressing a series of numbers on the remote, projecting several weapon photos on the screen.
“Only through commercial packaging can transactions be conducted with a reduced risk of seizure, so I want to use this point to infiltrate Wutang.”
Coral Reef Group was like an invisible cloak, hiding illegal arms under the guise of legal transactions…
Dong Enyu pursed her lips, knowing Huo Ai hadn’t finished speaking.
“So, is there a way?” Even in the darkness, her dark eyes sparkled like stars.
A way? Dong Enyu almost laughed.
“Ahem,” she cleared her throat, shifting her gaze from Huo Ai’s face to the weapon photos.
“Luo Ye is a trusted subordinate of the Wutang Boss, responsible for running arms or drug deals for the Boss.
Similarly, Luo Ye wouldn’t gamble with her position.
Even if you beat her to death, she wouldn’t reveal any information, trust me.”
Dong Enyu was confident that Luo Ye wouldn’t gamble with her position.
Huo Ai nodded slightly, her half-lowered eyes revealing no emotion.
“Indeed, she wouldn’t act rashly.” With Huo Ai’s words, Dong Enyu felt reassured, as if she had taken a calming pill.
She finally understood Dong Enyu’s difficulty in extracting information about the Wutang Boss.
“Wutang protects the Boss very well,” Huo Ai crossed her arms, turning her chair towards Dong Enyu.
“Never attending events, never showing up, no name, only using subordinates to conduct transactions, like a cult.
All members unconditionally obey orders and execute them.”
Listening to Huo Ai’s analysis, Dong Enyu raised an eyebrow with interest.
“After all, Wutang has the greatest influence in the North District.
They have bribed an unknown number of law enforcement officers, and both the White Path and the underworld dare not provoke them.
They control the North District’s military and drug trade, so it’s not surprising they protect the top leader this way.” Whether she was speaking to herself or to Huo Ai, Dong Enyu felt as if she had voiced the conclusion in her heart, feeling immensely relieved.
Huo Ai completely agreed with Dong Enyu’s insights.
“Besides Luo Ye, is there anyone else with clues?” Rather than a question, Huo Ai’s tone was more like a certainty.
Vaguely, she knew that Dong Enyu had other connections.
This matter wasn’t hopeless yet… Their eyes met, sparks flying in the air.
Dong Enyu blinked, not avoiding Huo Ai’s “questioning.” Because she knew, there was still someone else to ask, still a thread of a clue…
“What’s your answer?” In the pitch-black conference room, the atmosphere was tense.
The action awaited just one word from Dong Enyu.
After a moment, the woman shrugged as if compromising, and said lightly, “Maybe Zhao Han knows.”
