Something was about to go very, very wrong.
No matter how Bai Xiao looked at it, he had never expected to run into the daughter of Lungmen's underworld kingpin here of all places.
Unlike Uncle Dong, this mysterious Mr. Lin was no ordinary gang boss. He was the true emperor of Lungmen's underworld. Every shadow industry in the city fell under his control. Anyone who ran with the underworld knew the name Mr. Lin.
Like the Char Siu Gang and the Brine Gang from before—just hearing Uncle Dong invoke Mr. Lin's name had been enough to scare them half to death.
And the young lady standing before him now was Mr. Lin's daughter.
She was also one of Bai Xiao's other mission targets.
Strictly speaking, there was nothing strange about Lin Yuhsia being here. This dock was one of her family's operations, after all. Coming to inspect it was perfectly normal.
The real problem was that Ch'en was standing right beside him.
Sneaking a Guard Department officer in here at night for an off-the-books investigation—if that came to light, it would be disastrous. It would be terrible for Ch'en as well. Any proper search required a warrant. What they were doing now, sneaking in like this, was illegal in itself.
A Guard Department inspector breaking the law in front of the underworld—how was that any different from exposing herself on the spot?
So the moment she saw Lin Yuhsia, Ch'en quickly lowered her face deeper into the hood of the jacket, curled her tail in tight, and even gripped Bai Xiao's hand harder.
If Bai Xiao had really wanted to make use of the suspension bridge effect, then this was probably the most effective moment possible.
But right now, he had no attention to spare for that.
He had to find a way to deal with Lin Yuhsia.
The dockworkers all backed away, leaving only a tense Bai Xiao, a silent Ch'en, and the expressionless Lin Yuhsia.
"So you're Bai Xiao?"
"Yes, Miss. I'm Bai Xiao."
Lin Yuhsia arched a brow. "You know who I am?"
Bai Xiao smiled. "This is the first time I've met you, Miss, but Uncle Dong mentioned you before. He specifically told me that all the docks in the slums are under your management."
That was true enough. After taking over the dock, Bai Xiao had, by all accounts, become one of Lin Yuhsia's subordinates.
It was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Lin Yuhsia nodded and did not pursue the matter. Bai Xiao, meanwhile, stepped forward as if he meant to continue chatting with her, though in reality he was trying to block Ch'en from view.
"It's pretty late. May I ask what brings you here tonight, Miss?"
"...Nothing much. I just heard there'd been a change in personnel here, so I came to have a look." Lin Yuhsia lifted a hand and smoothed back the bangs the wind had stirred loose.
Even in the dim light, she was clearly beautiful. But unlike Ch'en, who carried herself like a drawn blade, Lin Yuhsia's features were gentle, her gaze touched with a faint smile—the very picture of a refined young lady from a great family.
Bai Xiao, however, was not about to relax because of that.
The situation was still extremely dangerous.
If Ch'en's identity was exposed, then Bai Xiao would immediately be branded as a traitor—someone feeding information to the enemy. In the underworld, that was a grave offense.
He had to get Ch'en out of here as fast as possible—
before Lin Yuhsia paid too much attention to her.
But just as Bai Xiao was about to suggest leaving, Lin Yuhsia seemed to remember something and glanced past him.
"Oh, right. And this is...?"
Bai Xiao's heart gave a heavy thud, but none of it showed on his face. He only laughed lightly.
"Haha, she's my girlfriend. I brought her here to have a look around."
As the dock's manager, bringing his girlfriend in was not exactly outrageous.
"Oh? Your girlfriend." Lin Yuhsia tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I've read your file. It didn't mention you having one."
Cold sweat instantly broke out down Bai Xiao's back, but he could only keep smiling and explain, "Well, we only confirmed things in the last couple of days. If not for Mr. Lin's favor, she probably wouldn't have given me a second glance."
As he spoke, fearing Lin Yuhsia would not buy it, Bai Xiao reached out and wrapped an arm around Ch'en's waist.
Her waist was slender enough to fit in one hand, soft yet firm under his palm, full of elasticity and restrained power.
Honestly, once he touched it, it was hard to want to let go.
The moment his hand landed on her waist, Ch'en froze completely in place. She did not know whether to struggle free or run, and for a moment her mind nearly stopped working altogether.
It was hardly her fault.
After all, this was her first time.
Who wasn't like that the first time?
"Oh, I see." Miss Lin nodded, seeming to accept Bai Xiao's explanation.
But before Bai Xiao could even breathe a sigh of relief, he heard Lin Yuhsia make an absurd request.
"Kiss her."
"Huh?"
Lin Yuhsia smiled sweetly. "Strictly speaking, outsiders aren't allowed into the dock. But I'm not an unreasonable person. Kiss her and prove your relationship, and I'll let this matter slide."
Bai Xiao truly had not expected Lin Yuhsia to demand that, but thinking about it, it was not entirely unreasonable. The fact that the boss's daughter was even giving him a chance to explain himself was already generous enough.
"Fine. A kiss, then."
Bai Xiao licked his lips and leaned slowly toward Ch'en, deliberately giving her enough time to think. If she showed strong opposition, then he would have to come up with another plan.
If it had been anyone else, Bai Xiao would have gone straight in without hesitation. But Ch'en was the heroine of this mission route. If he gave her a bad impression now, that would be a serious problem.
The two of them drew closer and closer.
Bai Xiao waited for some sign from her—
but even when his lips touched the smooth skin of her cheek, she showed no reaction at all.
So professional!
If not for the fact that his hand was practically being crushed in hers, Bai Xiao might have thought Ch'en genuinely did not mind.
The truth was that she minded very much.
Because his hand hurt so badly, Bai Xiao's voice shook a little as he spoke. "Miss Lin, is that enough? If there's nothing else, we'll be on our way. A new shipment of cigarettes just came in, and I still haven't logged it into the system."
He had no other thoughts now. He only wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
His instincts were telling him that something was very wrong with Lin Yuhsia.
Sure enough, before he could even take a step, Lin Yuhsia spoke again, her voice edged with mockery.
"What does kissing her cheek prove? If you're really a couple, then obviously you should kiss on the lips."
At those words, Bai Xiao stopped walking.
He knew they had been exposed.
Ch'en understood it too. She pulled back her hood and revealed her face.
"Lin Yuhsia, do you really think this is funny?"
At the sight of Ch'en's face, Lin Yuhsia showed not the slightest surprise. Instead, she let out a soft laugh.
"Isn't it? The great Inspector, hiding her identity and actually letting someone kiss her—this has been quite eye-opening."
At that point, Bai Xiao understood.
Lin Yuhsia had recognized Ch'en from the very beginning. Everything she had said just now had been deliberate teasing.
And Ch'en was already at a disadvantage. She had no way to strike back and could only endure Lin Yuhsia's mockery in silence.
"Next time you want to investigate this place, just tell me. It's not like I'd stop you. Or what—did you think informing me would tip me off? Inspector Ch'en really is careful, isn't she? Otherwise you wouldn't have come up with such a clever plan as sneaking in here in the middle of the night."
Ch'en still said nothing.
This round, she had lost.
But Ch'en's silence did not mean Bai Xiao would stay silent too. Seeing Lin Yuhsia press the advantage so relentlessly, he stepped directly in front of Ch'en.
"Miss Lin, I was the one who invited Officer Ch'en here to inspect the place."
Lin Yuhsia's eyes narrowed instantly, and her expression turned dangerous. The gentle, refined air vanished without a trace.
What replaced it was the unmistakable pressure of someone born to rule.
She was the Rat King's daughter.
Not some sheltered young miss who knew nothing of the world.
-------
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