“Xiao Cheng?” Miss Hong’s eyes widened slightly. Then she smiled with a hint of excitement. “What a surprise. How unexpected. It was actually Xiao Cheng.”
The man they had all overlooked without thinking. The man they had assumed Mei Yanlan wouldn’t care about even if he died right in front of her.
He was actually carrying Mei Yanlan’s child!
Of course they had investigated Xiao Cheng. The conclusion had been that Mei Yanlan’s marriage to him was nothing more than a prank she had gone along with. From the way she interacted with Xiao Cheng and Fang Bihe, anyone could tell she did not love Xiao Cheng at all.
Besides, Xiao Cheng’s purpose in marrying Mei Yanlan from the beginning had been to get rid of the mother and keep the child. Mei Yanlan had definitely known that. So how could she possibly let him have his way?
That was why they had long since kicked Xiao Cheng out of their plans. He was just an irrelevant passerby.
If the information broker had not set Bentley that test, then even if Xiao Cheng had gone abroad and given birth to the child, they probably still would not have thought it was Mei Yanlan’s child.
Bentley said, “You’d better put on the full act. Don’t let the information broker find out we’re in contact behind his back, or you can forget about catching him.”
“Don’t worry. I know what to do. Thank you.”
“I’m doing this for myself. I hope you won’t disappoint me when the time comes.”
“Rest assured. A great cause requires countless outstanding people willing to dedicate themselves. We welcome your participation.”
After the call ended, the excitement in Bentley’s eyes took a while to fade. He raised both hands and sent an email to the information broker. His pale fingers danced over the keyboard. On his two slender wrists, there were no monitoring rings marking him as an Atavist.
He was the only ordinary human in the Trident Mercenary Corps.
And that was exactly why he had given up the information broker’s invitation and chosen the Atavist Genetics Research Organization instead.
He wanted to become an Atavist.
No matter how powerful the information broker’s ability to gather intelligence was, he could not give Bentley what he really wanted.
After Jing Pei and Mei Yanlan finished their work for the day, Jing Pei saw Xiao Cheng waiting at the entrance of the Tribunal Division to pick Mei Yanlan up from work.
“Mr. Xiao really loves you,” Jing Pei said with a smile.
“After all, I’m a succubus,” Mei Yanlan said.
“But I feel like he’s gotten fatter since your wedding. As expected, men stop caring about keeping in shape after marriage?” Jing Pei’s gaze swept over Xiao Cheng’s waist and abdomen.
Mei Yanlan’s expression changed slightly, and her gaze sharpened as she looked at Jing Pei.
Jing Pei blinked. “What’s wrong?”
“…I’m leaving.”
Mei Yanlan quickly walked down the steps.
In truth, Xiao Cheng was not showing much yet. Even if one looked closely, at most they would only think he had been neglecting exercise lately. Overall, he still looked like a tall, rich, handsome man.
Watching the car drive away, Jing Pei took her phone out of her pocket and saw Bentley’s reply.
Mm. He had found it.
Then he had probably already told the organization too.
“You completed the mission well. Mei Yanlan gave you a very high evaluation.”
A deep voice sounded beside her.
Jing Pei put away her phone and turned to look at Qiu Fa beside her.
Compared to her, the man was really tall. His black, crisp uniform wrapped around his powerful physique. When the girl tilted her head up, she could see his well-defined, attractive jawline above the upright collar.
Jing Pei curved her eyes. “What about your evaluation?”
“Enough people have already praised you.”
“But I’m still missing yours.”
Qiu Fa froze.
He stared at her bright, expectant eyes, his fingers rubbing together feeling awkward for a moment.
“Hmph. Don’t speak to me in that tone, brat.”
“Eh, but I want to speak like this. What are you going to do about it?” Jing Pei said. “Bleh.”
“…”
The Tribunal Division staff getting off work behind them: “!!!”
As expected of the young heir of the Long family. She actually dared to talk to the Director like that. Even the other Atavist families only dared to curse him behind his back every day. In public, none of them dared to be so brazen in public.
“It’s time to get off work. Treat me to dinner. Let’s eat tuna,” they then heard Jing Pei say with a beaming smile.
No way. There is no way.
The Director was poor and stingy. If there was tuna, he would eat it himself. There was no way he’d treat someone else? Just think back to when the central government leaders tried to arrange blind dates for Qiu Fa. He took every one of those dates to eat in the cafeteria.
“I hope you no longer have any dealings with that information broker.” He finally remembered what he had come to find Jing Pei for.
See, see! He changed the subject after all!
There was no way Big Cat Qiu Fa would treat someone to tuna. Impossible in this lifetime!
Jing Pei only teased him lightly and stopped there. She asked, “What happened?”
“I already told you before. That person is mysterious, and no one knows what he’s really after. One day, you may be sold out by him without even knowing it.”
Qiu Fa had a feeling that what the information broker wanted was not merely money.
“Is this about what happened in Luoxing Prefecture? That mayor insisting on evacuating the citizens was because of intelligence from the information broker, right?”
“Mm.”
“If the earthquake happens, then that information broker will have saved so many lives. Even then, do you still think he’s a bad person?”
“Whether or not he’s a bad person doesn’t matter. He knows too much.”
People everywhere were investigating the information broker’s true identity. If Jing Pei dealt with him too closely, she could be dragged into it by accident. This little dragon was very clever, but she was also young and reckless. It was hard not to worry.
“I know.”
“Let’s go.”
Qiu Fa walked down the steps first.
“Where are we going? …Huh? Are you really treating me to fish? Tuna, okay! Bluefin tuna!” Jing Pei followed after him with a look of astonishment.
The Tribunal Division staff behind them looked at one another.
Qiu Fa was actually treating someone to tuna?
And bluefin tuna at that?
The world was ending!
Because Mei Yanlan had exploded in popularity, Xiao Cheng, the man married to her, naturally began drawing attention as well. His ten-year entanglement with Fang Bihe was also exposed by people in the know.
However, before the matter could ferment too far, Fang Bihe used her own account to clarify things. She stated that she and Xiao Cheng had always only been ordinary friends. Xiao Cheng had taken good care of her only because her marriage had fallen apart and her legs had been disabled in a car accident. It had been out of friendship and loyalty. There was no such thing as marriage fraud or using someone as a womb.
Because of that, public opinion did not blow up too severely. But as for what had really happened, everyone in their circle knew perfectly well. A few words from her were not enough to turn herself into an innocent party.
After all, the person she had provoked was an Atavist on Mei Yanlan’s level. Even if Mei Yanlan never said a word, others couldn’t help being wary. If Fang Bihe wanted to find a second wealthy husband in the country, it would now be very difficult.
This made Fang Bihe regret everything. If time could turn back, even if she were beaten to death, she would never again treat Mei Yanlan as an easy target.
Now, left with no options, she could only buy an airship ticket as quickly as possible and leave Hualan at once.
As for Xiao Cheng, people in their circle also had their doubts about whether Mei Yanlan actually loved Xiao Cheng.
Xiao Cheng himself knew the answer.
That was why he became even more attentive, thinking that a father could gain status through his child, and that his wife would eventually be moved by him one day.
His parents also stopped popping up to interfere with even a single extra word.
“Take out the divorce agreement you prepared before.”
But after they got home that night, Mei Yanlan suddenly said this.
Xiao Cheng’s expression changed drastically. “What did you say? You want to divorce me?”
“That’s right.”
“Impossible! Don’t even think about it! Do you have any conscience? You got me pregnant and now you want a divorce? As long as I don’t agree, you can forget about divorcing me for the rest of your life! The law will protect me!”
Never in Xiao Cheng’s life had he been as grateful as he was today for the Marriage Law’s protections for the pregnant party.
“You don’t just have to divorce me. You also have to go abroad.”
Mei Yanlan took a cigarette from her pocket, but after glancing at Xiao Cheng, she frowned and stuffed it back in.
“What do you mean?” Xiao Cheng froze. “What happened?”
Mei Yanlan was restless and anxious. This was outside her plan.
She did not love Xiao Cheng, so she had not cared much about his child with her either. After all, how could the Xiao family not love a child Xiao Cheng had personally given birth to?
But now the situation had changed.
According to her original plan, the Ling family should already have been completely killed by her. Yet now, the Ling family members were all still alive and locked up in the Tribunal Division detention center. Even she had no way of reaching them.
And not long ago, Jing Pei’s words had made her uneasy.
What exactly was Jing Pei trying to do?
Was she an enemy or a friend?
Mei Yanlan took a deep breath. Because of the fluctuation in her Atavist power, her black irises turned red.
“At this point, I’ll tell you.”
Mei Yanlan told Xiao Cheng about her entanglement with the Ling family, as well as what would happen if the Ling family or anyone else who knew about these matters discovered that he was carrying her child.
In the original novel, after Mei Yanlan dealt with the Ling family, she found a phone on one of their corpses and called Xiao Cheng to tell him these things.
Xiao Cheng went abroad and gave birth to the child. Because he had never undergone prenatal checkups at any Atavist hospital, either domestic or foreign, no trace was left behind. Therefore, no one suspected the child was Mei Yanlan’s descendant.
After Mei Yanlan died, he raised the child alone and never remarried for the rest of his life.
Xiao Cheng’s expression gradually became very ugly. In the end, his eyes reddened, and he sank into the sofa in defeat.
He realized that unless he aborted the child, divorce and going abroad were something can’t be avoided.
The next day, news spread that Xiao Cheng and Mei Yanlan had gone to the Civil Affairs Bureau to process their divorce, and that Xiao Cheng had also applied for a visa to go abroad.
The internet erupted in an uproar and immediately began cursing.
Naturally, they cursed Xiao Cheng.
After all, Fang Bihe had just gone abroad, and now, right after that, he was getting divorced and going abroad too. Who would believe he was not going after Fang Bihe?
As expected, he was a scumbag who tricked someone into marriage!
Scumbag man and trash woman, lock yourselves together and stop coming out to harm people!
My heart aches for our gorgeous succubus beauty. Big sister, look at me!!
Fang Bihe, already abroad: ??? Help, how come I didn’t know about this?!
While the triangle scandal between Mei Yanlan, Xiao Cheng, and Fang Bihe spread like wildfire, the news about the evacuation of Mingbo City in Luoxing Prefecture remained on the trending charts, drawing nationwide attention.
“Isn’t there still more than a day left? What’s the rush? I’m not packing. If I suffer losses, will you compensate me?”
“I’m going out for several days. Can’t I at least pack some clothes and skincare products?”
“I’m busy with work. Once I finish this project, I’ll naturally leave. Those who want to go can go first.”
“I’m not leaving. I only believe in science, not superstition. I’ll stay right here. I don’t believe an earthquake can come and shake me to death. A three-day advance warning? Hilarious.”
The evacuation of several million people was still not complete.
Especially after the insider information spread online, quite a few people began dragging their feet. They insisted on packing luggage, bringing all their valuables, and some who had already set out even returned to pack more things after hearing the news.
There were even people who simply no longer wanted to move at all.
The police had no choice but to inspect households one by one and urge people to leave, adding a great deal of unnecessary work.
“Friends in the livestream, look. Doesn’t our citywide migration look like an apocalypse escape?”
There were even streamers standing on top of buildings and leisurely livestreaming to netizens across the country.
“Everyone is heading out right now. The roads going in are sealed, and airship tickets can’t be bought either. How are we supposed to get in?”
“Are there any small roads?”
“There seems to be an abandoned mountain road.”
“Can we make it in time?”
“You’re still thinking about making it in time? If there really is an earthquake, wouldn’t you be rushing there to die?”
“Hahaha, you actually believe there’s going to be an earthquake? Haven’t you heard that there’s no technology in the world capable of predicting a natural disaster three days in advance?”
There were plenty of influencers who were in no hurry to run, but were very eager to ride the trend and make money. Some were even trying every possible way to get into Mingbo City and cash in on this wave of attention.
And as every minute and second passed, the pressure on Mayor Zhang Qixing grew heavier and heavier. Countless voices of doubt pressed down on him. While personnel from every department continued to carry out their duties faithfully, the sudden, enormous workload naturally led to some complaints. That was to say nothing of his colleagues and subordinates around him, who were all very opposed to his decision.
Because of his decision, the municipal government’s finances had suffered enormous losses, affecting everyone’s interests from top to bottom.
It was not as if he had never doubted whether his decision was right. He had wondered whether he really had been played by the information broker.
Only his parents, wife, and daughter stood firmly by his side and supported his decision.
“It’s all right. If we really are wrong, at least our conscience will be clear,” his father said, patting him on the shoulder.
“I’ll go make you a bowl of noodles. Eat your fill, then go on being a man who can stand tall under heaven. Stop thinking so much about ifs and buts,” his mother said, giving him a loving eye-roll.
“It would actually be a good thing if there really isn’t an earthquake. I hope that information broker is lying,” his wife said.
His adorable daughter wrapped her arms around his neck, gave him a kiss, and told Daddy to keep going.
His spirit found support, and once again, he was filled with strength to continue working with firm resolve.
That day, everyone in the Tribunal Division pretended not to have seen the news circulating online about Mei Yanlan and Xiao Cheng’s divorce. Each of them acted as if nothing had happened, as though bringing it up would only make things awkward and leave them not knowing what to say.
Only Jing Pei seemed not to care at all. As usual, she finished the day’s work with Mei Yanlan.
Before getting off work, Wen Yuxian called out to Jing Pei.
“You’re going to the Lou family tonight, right? Could you help me bring something to Miaomiao?”
“Sure.”
Wen Yuxian handed over a parcel even bigger than Jing Pei herself, smiling with great warmth and gentleness.
“Snacks for Miaomiao. I’ll leave it to you.”
There was no delivery service that could reach a place like the Lou family residence. Supplies were basically transported by the Lou family’s own airships. But Wen Yuxian was not familiar with the Lou family, and the Lou family members who lived outside were very indifferent. Even for such a small favor, they might not necessarily help.
Since Jing Pei often visited the Lou family, she could bring something to Zhang Simiao for Wen Yuxian while she was at it.
Wen Yuxian was always worried that Zhang Simiao would feel too embarrassed to eat much while staying in someone else’s home and end up not eating enough. So this huge bag was mostly filled with various kinds of jerky snacks.
“OK.”
Watching Jing Pei leave with the snacks, Mei Yanlan gave Wen Yuxian an ambiguous look.
“Long Jin is your and Miaomiao’s benefactor, isn’t she?”
“Of course.”
“Then, if she needed something, how far would you be willing to go for her?” Mei Yanlan seemed to mean something by it, and there was little warmth in her eyes.
Wen Yuxian paused, then smiled gently.
“If you were me, how far would you go? Besides, she’s a good person. It’s not as if she’d ask me to commit crimes.”
“I hope so too,” Mei Yanlan said without much expression.
Jing Pei usually went to the Lou family about once a week. This was Lou Ting’s condition for protecting Zhang Simiao, and today happened to be the day she was supposed to go.
The previous few times, Old Madam Lou had always come out to greet her, looking really welcoming and delighted. This time, she came out as well, but her complexion looked somewhat unpleasant, and her smile was rather forced.
“Ah Jin, you’ve been assisting the Tribunal Division with cases, haven’t you? You’ve worked hard. You must be tired after a full day, yet you still came all the way here.” The old lady in a cheongsam said, “Lou Ting has been waiting for you for quite a while. You can go straight up.”
The previous few times, she had always asked Jing Pei to drink a cup of tea and chat for a bit before letting her go upstairs.
Jing Pei did not mind. Accompanied by the staff, she went to take the Sky Ladder up. Unexpectedly, she ran into a woman on the way.
She was dressed in a crisp, capable style, and everything she wore looked expensive. Her face was smooth and wrinkle-free, making her age impossible to tell. Her temperament was mature, and her appearance was outstanding. However, she was very cold, so beautiful that she seemed almost harsh.
She stared at Jing Pei, looking her up and down. The corner of her mouth moved slightly.
“It’s you, isn’t it? The one who made that demon…”
“Lou Ningzhou!”
Old Madam Lou appeared again and snapped, cutting the woman off. Leaning on her cane, she hurried over.
“Ah Jin, don’t mind her. Hurry up and go.”
“All right.”
Jing Pei paused, a little surprised, then nodded.
Unexpectedly, the woman’s chilling voice followed from behind.
“Were you enchanted by Lou Ting’s holy appearance? There are plenty of women like you. Guess what happened to them in the end?”
“Lou Ningzhou! That’s enough…” Old Madam Lou looked very anxious. She turned to look at Jing Pei, afraid that Jing Pei would stop and ask what was going on.
Fortunately, Jing Pei seemed not to have heard anything and did not stop walking, allowing Old Madam Lou to breathe a sigh of relief.
Lou Ningzhou looked at her mother and sneered.
“You really are as selfish as ever.”
“Still not as selfish as you!”
Of course Jing Pei knew who Lou Ningzhou was. She was Lou Ting’s biological mother.
It seemed Lou Ting would probably be in a poor mood today.
The vertical Sky Ladder rose all the way upward. As far as the eye could see, snow-white mountain peaks surrounded them. Clouds and mist coiled around the cage in the sky, while the cage itself radiated a mysterious, a faint sacred glow, like a lighthouse in the vast heavens.
Those who could see this cage with the naked eye really regarded him as something like the North Star.
As long as they could see him, they would not lose their way.
The moment the elevator doors opened, a white figure flashed into view. A face appeared right in front of her, instantly filling her entire field of vision.
Jing Pei had long since grown used to it and did not even blink.
“If you keep doing this, I’m going to sneeze.”
The angel’s nose twitched. He sniffed twice. As he bent down, the necklace hanging around his neck slipped forward. The deep green dragon scale glittered under the light, its radiance more captivating than all the other gemstones beside it.
But even more captivating than that radiance was the smile he revealed.
It was so sacred that it seemed capable of purifying all the filth of the mortal world.
Jing Pei froze slightly.
This was different from what she had expected. He did not look upset at all. There was not even the slightest trace of gloom.
“There’s no smell of insects,” he said, very satisfied.
Jing Pei: “? What insect?”
“The one from last time.”
Chu Xusheng?
“He even had the shamelessness to confess to you. An insect falling in love with a divine dragon is absurd. Why did my God not send down divine punishment?” With the most sacred look on his face, the angel said with innocent cruelty, “It must be because my God wants me to do it myself. After all, He favors me so deeply. The next time we meet, I will judge him again. I hope he has committed no evil.”
? Hey, you’re supposed to be the legendary impartial six-winged Judgment Angel. Is it really okay for you to say something like that?
And Chu Xusheng’s words weren’t a love confession. That was a declaration of loyalty!
