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墨書 Inktalez
"Who told you to hug me? Just wait, you're bleeding again. Let me get some bandages to rewrap it."
Linna turned and walked away as she spoke.
"Hey? No way! This vest is pretty good and warm."
I called out, not wanting Linna to see my wound. That stubborn girl would definitely feel sorry for me.
Linna completely ignored me and really brought out a first aid kit. When she opened it, I was surprised to see that it was fully stocked with bandages and medicines.
"When did you buy this? You were prepared all along."
I couldn't help but marvel at her kit; we never had one like this at home before.
"Of course I was prepared. When I was little, my mom always kept a first aid kit at home. My dad often got hurt, so my mom's bandaging skills are better than a nurse's."
Linna rummaged through the kit and pulled out a bottle of Yunnan Baiyao, setting it aside before starting to replace the blood-soaked bandages on my body.
I caught a whiff of Linna's faint fragrance; it was delightful. I wondered if it was her natural scent. Her long hair brushed against my skin, tickling me and sending an unusual sensation through me.
"So how good are your bandaging skills? Are you going to put another vest on me?"
I asked with a smile, leaning closer to her ear mischievously. "If I don't flirt a little today, there won't be any progress! I'm getting frustrated!"
"Is your wound not painful enough?"
Linna said as her delicate hand rested on my chest, feeling my wound through the bandage. She was gentle, almost hesitant, as if she didn't want to hurt me. It felt like a threat.
"If you care about me, then I care about you too!"
The corners of my mouth lifted in a grin. Flirting! Flirting! In that moment, I felt a shift in the atmosphere! Just as I thought about pushing things further, a sharp pain suddenly shot through my chest!
"Ouch! Are you serious?"
I immediately recoiled, the pain jolting me awake! The mischievous thoughts faded away significantly.
"When have I ever played around with you? Don't mess with me! Let me tell you, if someone else hurt me because of you, I might still feel sorry for you, but when it comes to dealing with you, I won't hold back!"
Linna pointed at my face coldly and said, "I'm really fed up with this."
I straightened up. Even though Linna was so close to me, I still had the urge to flirt with her. I tried my best to suppress it; honestly, the feeling of wanting to flirt but being unable to was really frustrating.
However, that feeling only lasted for a moment. Linna seemed worried about hurting me; her movements were gentle and careful. Deep down, she wasn't as tough as she pretended to be; otherwise, she wouldn't have been on the verge of tears just moments ago.
As she bandaged my wounds up close, I felt an impulse rising within me. But more than that impulse was a sense of intoxication—her serious little face trying hard to maintain composure while hiding her concern from me.
"What are you staring at? Look at yourself; you're almost covered in bruises!"
Linna shot me an annoyed glance and pointed at my chest. I knew that the marks from the whip had left my body looking like a patchwork quilt. Linna tossed aside the bloody bandage and secretly wiped away a tear behind my back—I noticed everything.
"The patchwork isn't beautiful; you're beautiful."
I continued to gaze at Linna as she picked up the Yunnan Baiyao with a hint of admiration in my smile. She truly was beautiful—her unreasonable demeanor was beautiful, and the way she secretly cared for me was even more beautiful.
"Stop being cheeky! I'm in a bad mood; don't provoke me."
Linna said she might think I was trying to flirt with her again, so she reminded me that I wouldn’t get away with it. Right now, I just wanted to quietly watch her and appreciate her beauty.
I gazed at her. "Does it hurt?"
Linna poured Yunnan Baiyao onto my wound and asked. It did sting a bit, but I didn’t say anything. Instead, I continued to smile at her and replied, "Not at all."
I teased her, "You’re a grown person now; why do you still act like a child throwing a tantrum?"
Linna didn’t insist that I stop looking at her but asked me instead. Now, she didn’t dare to meet my gaze. Perhaps my eyes were too affectionate for her comfort. With the same appreciative smile, I said, "Really? Do you think a child could handle undercover work?"
I continued to poke fun at her, "Why do you always act like a child when you’re with me?"
Linna kept talking but still wouldn’t look at me.
"Aren't you my wife? Why pretend to be so serious with your wife?"
"What do you mean? Are you saying that your true nature is not serious?"
"Yes, do you want to explore that further?"
"Why do you always change the subject? Did I not teach you a lesson?"
"If you taught me a lesson, this is how I’d respond! Who told me to like you?"
Linna and I bantered like two children. My teasing left her feeling helpless. Love doesn’t need to be so serious; it’s better to keep life simple and joyful.
As expected, Linna changed the bloodied bandage for me and wrapped my wound in a thicker, warmer dressing than the one the nurse had provided. It was heartwarming.
Even though I thought it was quite nice, I couldn’t miss the chance to tease Linna about her bandaging skills. She told me, "You have to practice slowly!" I laughed; I didn’t want to give her any more chances to practice—getting hurt was painful!
That night, Linna and I discussed the progress of our next steps. I needed to eliminate Ning Chuan within a month, but I had no plan yet. Although Linna knew a bit about Ning Chuan, she didn’t know where to start either.
She also asked about the traitor situation. "Who do you think it could be?"
"I don’t want to think about it."
I grinned.
"Hey, Xiang Dong, don’t stress over it too much. In the Underworld, this kind of thing is common; there are always so many false pretenses. Don’t take it too seriously."
Linna noticed my mood wasn’t great and comforted me by saying that she meant for me not to take brotherhood too seriously—it was outdated.
Isn’t it precisely because of those false pretenses that true feelings become even more precious? I'm fine; I see things clearly.
I smiled at Linna and said, "As long as you can think this way, that’s the best outcome. I just worry about your happiness; I didn’t expect your perspective to be much broader than mine."
Linna laughed and nodded in agreement. "Many people stop believing in love because they’ve been hurt by cold realities. In some ways, that mindset is closer to that of a strong person."
Although such a life is a helpless choice, I refuse it. Happiness is something we compare against; I've seen too many cold rules and ugly faces. While these experiences disgust me, they’ve also trained me to recognize happiness and understand how precious ordinary feelings can be.
Every time I return home after experiencing the storms and ugliness of the outside world, I playfully tease Linna, relishing the sliver of innocence I reserve for myself. It brings me immense joy, and Linna's heartfelt concern touches me deeply, leaving a lingering warmth in my mind.
The next day, I resumed my usual routine. Chen informed me that I had only one month to deal with Ning Chuan, so starting today, I needed to devise a strategy. There was little valuable information from Linna, so I decided to consult Zheng Yu. After all, he had mentioned that he would contribute to this matter to prove his worth.
I called Zheng Yu over, not expecting him to have any significant findings so soon. However, when he arrived, he brought a folder with him. "Dong Ge," he said, "I gathered some information on Ning Chuan yesterday. He appears to be a burly man but is quite cautious in his actions, making it rare for anyone to catch him off guard. This is all the information I have." Zheng Yu handed me the folder, and I opened it to take a look.
Ning Chuan, Tian Ye Group, Kyoto Headquarters, age thirty-five, married. He joined Tian Ye Group at nineteen as Liu Qi's enforcer and became Liu Qi's trusted aide. He had been under Liu Qi's command since Liu Qi was still a hall leader and rose through the ranks alongside him until he became the boss of Kyoto's Northern District. After Liu Qi passed away, Chen took over the Kyoto Branch, and within a month, Ning Chuan succeeded him as deputy leader.
He owns five properties and several luxury cars; he is known for being ruthless and cautious. The folder also contained details about the locations of Ning Chuan's properties and photos of his cars—nothing particularly noteworthy.
"Dong Ge, the time is too short; this is all the intelligence I have for now," Zheng Yu said. I acknowledged with a nod and placed the folder on the table.
I felt confident about this matter; there was no need to rush—there was still a month left. "In any situation, rushing will not lead to success," I remarked.
"Indeed," Zheng Yu replied with a chuckle. "I'm just afraid you might suspect I'm a traitor, so I'm trying to show my commitment."
I smiled back at him as he brought up the issue of betrayal again. I understood that Zheng Yu wanted me to expedite the investigation to clear his name. Honestly, I had begun to trust him more.
However, I also knew that the current situation was not conducive to identifying the traitor. "Dong Ge," I expressed my thoughts, "if there's a traitor among us, it creates instability."
Zheng Yu responded, "Right now I'm constrained by Chen; if I poke at his eyes, won't it hurt? Although I'm not without options, it seems a bit premature."
I chuckled and said, "Isn't it your heart that's unstable?"
"Yes," he admitted. "I know you must have your thoughts; otherwise, you wouldn't be so calm."
Zheng Yu looked at me with a grin. Hearing this made me laugh out loud—damn it! This guy always seems to see right through my thoughts!
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