19th April, 2026
"Hey, do you have any relatives named Long?" Zhang Wei inquired, his voice cutting through the room as Rose assisted him in donning his clothes. Behind him, Leng Yan and Wu Xue lay on the bed, cocooned beneath a quilt, lost in the embrace of sleep.
Yesterday, after deciding to head directly to Xianghui with Chu Yaoyao, Zhang Wei arrived at Leng Yan's house accompanied by Rose, Leng Yan, and Wu Xue.
Needless to say, Zhang Wei hadn't brought them along for a gaming session!
Wu Xue's face bore a small, contented smile, as if she had finally secured the brief vacation she longed for. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via n(0))vel(b)(j)(n).
"Long? I've never come across anyone by that name..." Rose confessed with a subtle furrow of her brows. Despite her limited rest, she remained alert and spirited.
Zhang Wei nodded thoughtfully, "What about you? Has anyone ever mentioned Long Yufei or Long Tian? Do those names ring a bell to you?"
"..." Rose fell silent, her mind lost in a whirlwind of memories, before she gently shook her head. "I don't remember," she murmured softly.
Zhang Wei's brows shot up in surprise. "Interesting," he remarked, his curiosity piqued.
"What about your family? You've never mentioned them before," he inquired, his hand encircling her waist as they exited the house, heading towards the waiting Bentley where Raven sat behind the wheel.
As they approached the luxurious car, Rose's expression flickered momentarily, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. With a graceful glide, they settled into the plush backseat.
Finally, Rose opened up, her voice carrying a weight of hidden pain. "My family... I don't have one. I was adopted by Ren Zhihao, the current right-hand man of the leader of the Red Scorpion. He's the reason I left with a few others to form our own faction."
Zhang Wei listened intently, his eyes probing. "I knew that much, but what else is there? Why do you harbor such resentment towards him?"
Rose, "..."
Rose's expression transformed, a bitter smile etching its way across her features, a harrowing realization dawning upon her.
"Although I left him to escape the clutches of darkness, it seems I've never truly broken free. Now, I find myself questioning why I ever despised him for placing a gun in my hands."
Raven, her grip tight on the steering wheel, knitted her brows in concentration, absorbing the heavy words in silence.
Zhang Wei reclined in his seat, a contemplative shadow casting over his features.
After a moment suspended in silence, his voice broke through, carrying a weight of understanding, "You don't loathe him for the weapon he forced into your grasp, but for stripping away your freedom to choose."
"Mhm..." Rose hummed in acknowledgment, a soft sound that filled the car with its resonance.
??
Then, with a sudden movement that rustled the quiet of the moment, she shifted, laying her head gently across Zhang Wei's lap.
This unexpected intimacy caused Zhang Wei's eyebrows to arch in surprise, while Raven was plunged into a stunned quiet.
Zhang Wei, regaining his composure, reiterated his directives with a calm authority, "Take care of the Red Scorpion gang, and keep a close watch on Tang Bo. You're free to launch direct assaults; don't worry about the Song family. They'll soon be too preoccupied to interfere." After a brief silence filled with the weight of impending actions, Rose nodded, a silent promise of compliance and understanding.
Lost in a sea of confusion and emptiness, she struggled to grasp the purpose of her existence.
An emptiness, previously alien to her, now engulfed her being. Initially, Zhang Wei had vowed to cultivate the White Tigers as a symbol of his commitment to her, but those days were long gone.
Now, she found herself devoid of any claim over the White Tigers; instead, her past had been meticulously cleansed, her slate wiped clean. She was now at the helm of the Long Feng group's development, steering it under Zhang Wei's directive.
Despite the accolades and the power, a profound sense of loss haunted her. Yet, amidst this tumult of emotions, a small smile managed to break through the clouds of despair.
A flicker of purpose ignited within her when he had finally entrusted her with the mission to directly confront the Red Scorpion gang. This assignment, this trust, bestowed a sliver of meaning upon her existence.
"Ren Zhihao will be my kill, Boss," she whispered with a newfound resolve, her voice barely above a murmur.
Zhang Wei's response was calm, indifferent, "I don't care what you do with him."
______
They made their way through the bustling streets, the car gliding smoothly towards the north district, where the Pearl Towers stood tall and imposing against the city skyline.
Here, they left Rose, her figure disappearing into the grandeur of the towers, before the vehicle veered towards the glamorous facade of Tianyi Entertainment.
With Rose's departure, the atmosphere within the car shifted dramatically.
Zhang Wei, adopting a demeanor that melded arrogance with ease, sprawled back in his seat.
His legs crossed in a display of casual authority, he turned his gaze towards Raven, the corners of his mouth tilting upwards in a provocative challenge.
"Hey, blue hair, what have you been busying yourself with lately?" His tone, now playful yet edged with a certain dominance, marked the transition to the smiling devil.
Raven, caught under his intense scrutiny, felt a familiar twitch in her eyes—a prelude to what she dreaded might be the onset of her 'harassment season'.
Yet, she responded with a controlled hum, her voice a blend of resignation and defiance. "Nothing much, Boss. Just assisting Rose with some matters."
His reply came quick, a sharp click of the tongue betraying his mock disapproval. "So, you've been slacking off in your duties, then?" Zhang Wei's words, though light, carried an underlying challenge.
Raven's initial shock morphed into a wry smile, a blend of amusement and exasperation coloring her tone. "Boss, how about I bang my head against the steering wheel? Would that suffice for my slacking?"
Zhang Wei, undeterred and unyielding in his approach, retorted with a mischievous glint in his eye, "You may — please."
19th April, 2026
"Hey, do you have any relatives named Long?" Zhang Wei inquired, his voice cutting through the room as Rose assisted him in donning his clothes. Behind him, Leng Yan and Wu Xue lay on the bed, cocooned beneath a quilt, lost in the embrace of sleep.
Yesterday, after deciding to head directly to Xianghui with Chu Yaoyao, Zhang Wei arrived at Leng Yan's house accompanied by Rose, Leng Yan, and Wu Xue.
Needless to say, Zhang Wei hadn't brought them along for a gaming session!
Wu Xue's face bore a small, contented smile, as if she had finally secured the brief vacation she longed for. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via n(0))vel(b)(j)(n).
"Long? I've never come across anyone by that name..." Rose confessed with a subtle furrow of her brows. Despite her limited rest, she remained alert and spirited.
Zhang Wei nodded thoughtfully, "What about you? Has anyone ever mentioned Long Yufei or Long Tian? Do those names ring a bell to you?"
"..." Rose fell silent, her mind lost in a whirlwind of memories, before she gently shook her head. "I don't remember," she murmured softly.
Zhang Wei's brows shot up in surprise. "Interesting," he remarked, his curiosity piqued.
"What about your family? You've never mentioned them before," he inquired, his hand encircling her waist as they exited the house, heading towards the waiting Bentley where Raven sat behind the wheel.
As they approached the luxurious car, Rose's expression flickered momentarily, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. With a graceful glide, they settled into the plush backseat.
Finally, Rose opened up, her voice carrying a weight of hidden pain. "My family... I don't have one. I was adopted by Ren Zhihao, the current right-hand man of the leader of the Red Scorpion. He's the reason I left with a few others to form our own faction."
Zhang Wei listened intently, his eyes probing. "I knew that much, but what else is there? Why do you harbor such resentment towards him?"
Rose, "..."
Rose's expression transformed, a bitter smile etching its way across her features, a harrowing realization dawning upon her.
"Although I left him to escape the clutches of darkness, it seems I've never truly broken free. Now, I find myself questioning why I ever despised him for placing a gun in my hands."
Raven, her grip tight on the steering wheel, knitted her brows in concentration, absorbing the heavy words in silence.
Zhang Wei reclined in his seat, a contemplative shadow casting over his features.
After a moment suspended in silence, his voice broke through, carrying a weight of understanding, "You don't loathe him for the weapon he forced into your grasp, but for stripping away your freedom to choose."
"Mhm..." Rose hummed in acknowledgment, a soft sound that filled the car with its resonance.
??
Then, with a sudden movement that rustled the quiet of the moment, she shifted, laying her head gently across Zhang Wei's lap.
This unexpected intimacy caused Zhang Wei's eyebrows to arch in surprise, while Raven was plunged into a stunned quiet.
Zhang Wei, regaining his composure, reiterated his directives with a calm authority, "Take care of the Red Scorpion gang, and keep a close watch on Tang Bo. You're free to launch direct assaults; don't worry about the Song family. They'll soon be too preoccupied to interfere." After a brief silence filled with the weight of impending actions, Rose nodded, a silent promise of compliance and understanding.
Lost in a sea of confusion and emptiness, she struggled to grasp the purpose of her existence.
An emptiness, previously alien to her, now engulfed her being. Initially, Zhang Wei had vowed to cultivate the White Tigers as a symbol of his commitment to her, but those days were long gone.
Now, she found herself devoid of any claim over the White Tigers; instead, her past had been meticulously cleansed, her slate wiped clean. She was now at the helm of the Long Feng group's development, steering it under Zhang Wei's directive.
Despite the accolades and the power, a profound sense of loss haunted her. Yet, amidst this tumult of emotions, a small smile managed to break through the clouds of despair.
A flicker of purpose ignited within her when he had finally entrusted her with the mission to directly confront the Red Scorpion gang. This assignment, this trust, bestowed a sliver of meaning upon her existence.
"Ren Zhihao will be my kill, Boss," she whispered with a newfound resolve, her voice barely above a murmur.
Zhang Wei's response was calm, indifferent, "I don't care what you do with him."
______
They made their way through the bustling streets, the car gliding smoothly towards the north district, where the Pearl Towers stood tall and imposing against the city skyline.
Here, they left Rose, her figure disappearing into the grandeur of the towers, before the vehicle veered towards the glamorous facade of Tianyi Entertainment.
With Rose's departure, the atmosphere within the car shifted dramatically.
Zhang Wei, adopting a demeanor that melded arrogance with ease, sprawled back in his seat.
His legs crossed in a display of casual authority, he turned his gaze towards Raven, the corners of his mouth tilting upwards in a provocative challenge.
"Hey, blue hair, what have you been busying yourself with lately?" His tone, now playful yet edged with a certain dominance, marked the transition to the smiling devil.
Raven, caught under his intense scrutiny, felt a familiar twitch in her eyes—a prelude to what she dreaded might be the onset of her 'harassment season'.
Yet, she responded with a controlled hum, her voice a blend of resignation and defiance. "Nothing much, Boss. Just assisting Rose with some matters."
His reply came quick, a sharp click of the tongue betraying his mock disapproval. "So, you've been slacking off in your duties, then?" Zhang Wei's words, though light, carried an underlying challenge.
Raven's initial shock morphed into a wry smile, a blend of amusement and exasperation coloring her tone. "Boss, how about I bang my head against the steering wheel? Would that suffice for my slacking?"
Zhang Wei, undeterred and unyielding in his approach, retorted with a mischievous glint in his eye, "You may — please."
