Chapter Thirty-Four: The Widow

When it came to accompanying women on shopping trips, Ye Yan was remarkably patient, and with a rather full wallet to boot, he was most likely one of those rare people who had both time and money to spare. Although he’d only spent a year with the World Society, the money he’d earned in that time was enough for him to live in luxury for several lifetimes without ever worrying about running out.

Long past the stage of fretting over daily meals or basic needs, Ye Yan no longer placed much value on money. People, he thought, were far more important than wealth.

Seated in an old armchair, sipping tea and scrolling idly through his phone, Ye Yan would glance now and then in Chen Duo’s direction. Chen Duo, led away by an enthusiastic sales assistant, had wandered into a world of vivid colors—a world made entirely of clothes she had never seen before, each more beautiful than the last.

More than once, when she lifted her head, Ye Yan noticed the faintest trace of a smile at the corner of her lips—a smile so subtle it could easily go unnoticed. At first, Ye Yan wondered if it was just his imagination, a trick of the eye. But it wasn’t. Chen Duo was indeed smiling, only her joy was carefully concealed.

“As I thought, I really should bring her out more often,” Ye Yan mused. He snapped a candid photo of Chen Duo’s silhouette and sent it to Old Liao. No sooner had he sent the picture than Old Liao replied instantly.

“You’re taking Duo Duo out shopping?”

“Mm,” Ye Yan typed back. Then the chat fell silent for a long moment. Nearly five minutes passed before Old Liao finally responded, his message brief:

“Take good care of Duo’er, and stay safe.”

“Got it,” Ye Yan replied, attaching an emoji that read “True brotherhood, always in my heart.” Old Liao answered with a string of ellipses.

Locking his phone, Ye Yan felt a surge of warmth. “The concern of a father,” he thought with a smile. He looked up again at Chen Duo, weaving her way through the racks, and his smile grew genuine and heartfelt. “This rare day—today, I’ll make sure she has a wonderful time…”

…

…

Southern Frontier, a remote mountain village.

Old Liao, fierce in appearance and wearing a newsboy cap, stood beneath a large tree, clutching his phone and grinning foolishly, his face lit with a mischievous, almost childlike delight.

“Brother Liao, what are you looking at? Smiling like a creep. Don’t tell me you’ve got your eye on that widow again?”

Suddenly, a young employee in his early twenties, delicate in features and a jack-of-all-trades, sidled up and teased Liao Zhong with a grin.

Liao Zhong quickly pocketed his phone and rapped the young man’s head, putting on a stern face. “Watch your mouth, brat! Don’t you know you should call me Captain?”

The young man rolled his eyes.

“Fine, fine, Captain it is. But really, are you grinning like that because of the widow? You look like a ripe persimmon in September.”

“…Yellow and tart, you mean.”

“What?”

Liao Zhong’s face froze for a second before he bellowed, “Who’s got their eye on a widow? If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll really wallop you.”

“Yeah, sure… Just won’t admit it,” the young man retorted, unfazed by Liao Zhong’s raised fist. He lazily dug at his ear with his pinky and continued, “Everyone knows you and the owner of that wonton stall on Qingyuan Street have been making eyes at each other for ages. Her wontons are ten yuan, and you insist on giving her fifteen… Who’s buying that you’re just being nice?”

Liao Zhong’s face flushed as he tried to explain, “She’s a single mother raising a child alone. Giving her extra is just charity—sympathy, you scoundrel! What do you know?”

“You’re making it worse,” chimed in another employee, an older-looking young man with a receding hairline, joining in the banter with a grin.

“Get lost, all of you,” Liao Zhong cursed.

Despite Liao Zhong’s fearsome looks—burly, intimidating, as if he could eat several children for breakfast—his subordinates weren’t the least bit afraid of him. Their conversations were bold, unrestrained, and laced with fearless teasing, for Liao Zhong, beneath his rough exterior, was kind and approachable, quick to win over anyone he met. In the whole branch, his reputation was the best; everyone held him in genuine affection.

“Let me tell you, even as the branch chief, I’m out here on the front lines with you. So you’d better do your best, or I’ll dock all your bonuses this month.”

Liao Zhong’s threat was met with immediate protest.

“Try docking our bonuses, Old Baldy, and we’ll petition headquarters together—report you for abusing your authority!”

“Report me, will you?” Liao Zhong snorted. “You lot couldn’t write a decent petition if your lives depended on it. Besides, do you even know which way the headquarters’ front door faces?”

“East!”

“South!”

“West!”

…

“A bunch of fools,” Liao Zhong muttered, pulling his cap lower, half exasperated, half amused by this lively crew. But then his tone grew serious. “Enough jokes. Once we’re on the mission, if anyone screws up, don’t blame me for being harsh.”

At once, everyone straightened, their demeanor turning solemn.

Someone then asked curiously, “Chief Liao, why are you on this mission personally today, and dragging all of us along? Usually, we leave catching Quanxing members to the temps, don’t we?”

“Always with the questions,” Liao Zhong shot him a glance. “The temp had something come up and took the day off, so I’m handling their work today. Any problem with that?”

His voice was icy.

The man shrank back. “No, sir.”

“Good. Then get ready.” Liao Zhong waved a hand. “Stick to the plan. How’s the recon in the village? How many civilians inside?”

“I can’t give an exact number, but there should be no fewer than five hundred ordinary people inside.”

“And Quanxing?”

“We know of three for sure—two new recruits, names unknown, and one listed in the database as Cao Jialiang. As for whether there are any higher-level Quanxing members, we haven’t been able to confirm…”

“Hmm,” Liao Zhong nodded.

Though not all the intel was clear, he wasn’t worried. After all, the team he’d brought were some of the strongest fighters from the Southwest Division. Against a few Quanxing members, they would have no trouble.

With this confidence, Liao Zhong’s voice grew even more commanding. “All right, let’s move. Stay alert and be careful.”

Using the terrain for cover, Liao Zhong led more than a dozen experts into the village. Along the way, the Quanxing newcomers they encountered, including the motorcycle gang member Cao Jialiang, were taken down with ease by Liao Zhong and his team.

They met no resistance.

Some of the new recruits tried to put up a struggle, unwilling to accept defeat, but were swiftly subdued.

Just as everyone thought the mission was nearly complete, a man stepped out from an earthen house—and at that sight, their faces instantly changed.