66: Lin Xia, who gave up

When Li Zhan returned to Lianhua Residential Area, the aroma of cooking was wafting from the kitchen.

A Zhen and Lili, wearing aprons, were busy at the stove,

while Xiao Wen and Xiao Xue were helping out on the side; the clatter of spatulas mixed with the sound of laughter.

"You're back?"

A Zhen tilted her head to glance at him, her spatula flipping the shredded pork with green peppers.

Li Zhan tossed his keys onto the shoe cabinet,

wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Stop it,"

A Zhen gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow. "You smell like sweat. Go take a shower."

She turned her head to glare at him, but he took the opportunity to steal a kiss on her lips.

Li Zhan let go with a laugh,

but didn't forget to give A Zhen's buttocks a squeeze before leaving, making her raise her spatula as if to hit him.

He carried his change of clothes toward the bathroom,

and winked at Lili, who was setting the table, as he passed the living room.

During dinner, the girls sat around the dining table.

A Zhen served Li Zhan a full bowl of rice and asked softly, "I heard something happened at the venue last night?"

"Some blind punk was causing trouble."

Li Zhan took a few bites of rice. "I had a chat with his old man this afternoon; it's settled."

A Zhen placed a piece of braised pork into his bowl and hesitated for a moment.

"A-Zhan, will you... to Ninth Master..."

His chopsticks paused at the edge of the bowl. Li Zhan looked up at her.

"As long as he doesn't mess with me, I have no interest in making a move on him."

"Brother Zhan!"

Lili suddenly interjected, her eyes sparkling.

"It's almost New Year. Can we go to your home to celebrate this year?"

Several pairs of eyes at the table looked at him in unison.

Li Zhan chewed his rice and said indistinctly, "Aren't you guys going home?

Going there is definitely fine, I'm just afraid we won't have enough room to stay.

After eating dinner at home in the evening, we'd have to go out and find a hotel."

"My home isn't as lively as everyone being together. I'm following you for New Year this year," Xiao Xue muttered.

A Zhen took over the conversation. "We'll take some money back this year and renovate the old house.

If there's land, we'll build a new building."

She gently touched the back of Li Zhan's hand. "Next year when we go back, there'll be a place to stay."

Li Zhan nodded and continued eating.

He actually wasn't quite sure how much money he had—

anyway, the bank cards were all with A Zhen.

The steam from the bathroom seemed to still linger at the tips of his hair,

mixing with the aroma of the food, making this winter night exceptionally warm.

---

The night was deep, and only a dim yellow bedside lamp was lit in the bedroom.

Li Zhan lay on his side holding A Zhen, his hand restlessly sliding into her pajamas.

"Have Xiao Wen and Xiao Xue go to Shenzhen tomorrow."

A Zhen pressed down on his mischievous hand. "What are they going to Shenzhen for?"

Li Zhan buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breath hitting her sensitive skin.

"To buy a house."

His palm moved up slowly. "In a while, you and the others will need to live there for a period of time."

A Zhen's body stiffened. "What happened now?"

She turned around and stared at Li Zhan's silhouette in the darkness.

"There's been some friction with Nancheng recently.

Go there to lie low for a while. Once I've settled it, I'll bring you back."

A Zhen sighed softly, her fingertips tracing Li Zhan's features.

She knew she couldn't talk him out of it, so she could only softly urge him, "Be careful..."

Before she could finish,

Li Zhan had already kissed her lips,

A Zhen struggled slightly. "No... don't..."

"I'll be gentle."

...

A short while later,

A Zhen chuckled. "Are you not satisfied?

Li Zhan gave her buttocks a light pat,

"Go to sleep."

"Go find Lili."

A Zhen rolled over, taking most of the blanket with her,

"Let me rest for a bit."

In the darkness, Li Zhan stared at the ceiling,

but his thoughts had already drifted to the impending storm.

The sound of A Zhen's steady breathing gradually came,

and he gently tucked the blanket around her before getting out of bed quietly.

He made his way toward Lili's room...

---

The next morning, Lin Xia pushed open the glass doors of Xinyue Entertainment right on time.

She had changed her look today—

a low-cut sweater revealed a section of her fair collarbone,

with a slim-fit blazer over it and jeans wrapping around her straight, long legs.

This outfit had been forced upon her by Little Night yesterday,

along with several sets of embarrassing lingerie that she wouldn't wear even if it killed her.

"Morning, Secretary Lin," the receptionist girl greeted with a smile.

Lin Xia gave a cold nod and walked straight toward the second-floor office.

Pushing open the door, the morning sunlight cast striped shadows on the floor through the blinds.

She locked the door behind her, her gaze quickly scanning the entire space—

the solid wood desk, leather sofa, and tawny glass coffee table all looked perfectly normal.

She took a small black box from her bag, which revealed several miniature electronic components after being opened.

Her fingers nimbly assembled them,

then she crouched down and skillfully stuck the listening device, which had storage capabilities, to the bottom of the coffee table.

After finishing all this,

she clapped her hands, the corners of her mouth turning up unconsciously.

"Let's see where you run this time..." she whispered to herself,

smoothed out her clothes and sat back on the sofa, pretending to leaf through documents as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, in the third-floor monitoring room,

Little Night sat with her legs crossed, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

Among the sixteen monitoring screens in front of her,

one clearly showed every move Lin Xia had just made.

Since they already knew this woman was an undercover agent, how could they not have some surveillance measures in place?

She burst out laughing and picked up the phone to call Li Zhan.

"Brother Zhan, your little wildcat is indeed being naughty."

---

Near noon.

When Li Zhan pushed the door open and entered, Lin Xia was sitting upright on the sofa, leafing through a magazine.

The sunlight through the blinds cast fine shadows on her profile, and the low-cut sweater outlined the graceful lines of her neck.

His mouth twitched—

This woman actually dared to plant a bug in his office?

However, he didn't plan to expose her,

If he removed this bug, she would probably find somewhere else to put one, so he might as well leave it.

"Morning, Secretary Lin."

He casually tossed his briefcase onto the sofa and sat down beside her.

Lin Xia helplessly closed the magazine and looked at him expressionlessly, her eyes screaming "here we go again."

She knew exactly what would happen next; didn't this bastard have any other hobbies?

Li Zhan did exactly as she expected; it was a routine action, something that had to be done every day.

He familiarly grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her, his other hand already reaching under the hem of her sweater.

Unexpectedly,

Lin Xia didn't even put up a symbolic struggle this time,

directly leaning back with an air of "do as you please."

"So cooperative?

You haven't just given up, have you?"

He chuckled in her ear, his fingertips skillfully unhooking her bra.

Lin Xia turned her face away, but her earlobes quietly turned red.

Li Zhan's kiss carried the scent of male hormones, making her feel a bit dazed and infatuated.

Especially his right hand, which felt as if it carried an electric current...

Just when she thought today's routine was no different from before,

that mischievous hand suddenly slid downward...

"You!"

Lin Xia bolted up as if she'd been shocked and glared at the bastard,

only to see that after stealing a quick grope, Li Zhan had already stood up and sat back at his desk as if nothing had happened,

even solemnly handing over a document.

"Help me check the cash flow for the mahjong parlor from last month."

He gave her the instruction without even looking up, as if everything just now had never occurred.

Lin Xia clenched her fists, breathing heavily, her nails digging deep into her palms.

This... bastard...

Once she got solid evidence,

she would definitely make him... definitely..."