Smile

Translator: Cinder Translations

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"Yes." Zuo Jing didn't hesitate and threw out a name, "Chen Qiang."

"That young man?" An Xuan frowned.

"Yes." Zuo Jing nodded. "He's too calm, and his knowledge surpasses that of an ordinary person. Although he claims to be a student at an architecture university and says it's not unusual for him to know some history and cultural knowledge, but…"

Zuo Jing thought for a moment, then continued, "In any case, I feel there's something off about him. He appears emotionally stable, but I can sense the anger that arises when he's offended or interrupted."

An Xuan narrowed his eyes, gazing in a direction as if his vision could penetrate the walls. After a long while, he said softly, "It seems he's very good at hiding his emotions."

"Exactly." Zuo Jing continued, "I've already thrown out the bait. Now it's just a matter of whether he takes it. I'll keep a close eye on him during this time."

"Bait?" An Xuan suddenly became agitated and stared at her. "You… you revealed the identities of those three…"

Zuo Jing shook her head, cutting him off. "Don't worry, of course not all of it. Just their collaborative identity as a team."

"Foolish!" An Xuan's expression immediately changed, his face turning grim.

"The intelligence was wrong. You know the consequences if this situation escalates," Zuo Jing said, staring into An Xuan's eyes. She wouldn't back down on this matter. "Either we find that person and eliminate him, or we're all dead."

"Whether it's the bait or us," Zuo Jing lowered her voice.

"Hiss—" An Xuan took a deep breath. After a long pause, he said coldly, "Do you know what would happen if this gets out to the higher-ups?"

"No."

"You'd be judged as emotionally unstable, with actions and risks out of control. At the very least, you'd…" He stopped, not finishing his sentence, but his tone was filled with deep concern, as if he himself would suffer the consequences.

"They won't find out." Zuo Jing suddenly smiled, her radiant expression reflected in An Xuan's handsome eyes. "Captain, you'll cover for me, right?"

"Sigh—" An Xuan exhaled, turning his face away from her.

"Just this once. Never again."

"Thank you, Captain!"

After calming down for a while, An Xuan returned to his usual demeanor, all business. "Have you figured out the background of that Shi Liaozhi?"

"Not yet," Zuo Jing replied. "He seems capable, and unlike what he claims, he's not a thief. He probably has a military background."

"A mercenary?"

Zuo Jing thought for a moment, then shook her head. "More likely regular military. His sleeping habits and some subtle details he inadvertently reveals suggest as much."

"A regular soldier disguised as a thief…" An Xuan suddenly found this intriguing.

"But I don't think he's the one," Zuo Jing said.

"Reason?"

"His instincts are a bit off, and…" Zuo Jing suddenly added, "He's overdoing the act. He seems like he's just a bit clever. Compared to Chen Qiang, I still think the latter is more likely."

"Your intuition is sharper than mine. That's one of the reasons I chose you in the first place," An Xuan nodded. "But remember, don't rely too much on your instincts. You should know that the people we're dealing with, besides their extreme madness and self-destructive willpower, are also masters of… disguise."

"We've already paid too much in blood for lessons in this area."

"I understand," Zuo Jing nodded.

Looking up at the sky, An Xuan exhaled and said, "It's about time. We should go. Let's get our stories straight."

"I came with you to monitor you, but midway, you seemed to have discovered something and found an excuse to shake me off. The last time I saw you was near the low wall of Young Master Huang's courtyard. You had just climbed out, and I followed you all the way back…"

"No." An Xuan cut her off directly. "Two flaws. First, the excuse part. You need to come up with that excuse now, or you'll slip up when questioned later."

"Second, if I could shake you off even when you hadn't noticed anything, do you think you'd have a chance to find me and follow me without me noticing?"

"Even if you could explain it as me deliberately letting you find me, that explanation isn't good enough," An Xuan said. "Those people aren't fools."

"Then…"

"You'll go back with me later," An Xuan said, looking up.

"Together?"

"Yes." An Xuan nodded. "Not only together, but you'll also have to act as if you're afraid of me."

He paused, glancing in the direction of Young Master Huang's building, his expression shifting slightly. "But no matter how they interrogate you later, you must insist that I'm normal, that there's no problem, and that we only did a superficial exploration at Young Master Huang's place, nothing deep."

"Then they might think we've made some kind of deal," Zuo Jing said.

"Not a deal," An Xuan shook his head. "It's that we've discovered something, and I've got a deadly hold over you," he paused, "just like Tang Shirou."

A glint flashed in Zuo Jing's eyes.

"After all, until they find a new scapegoat, they won't dare get close to me," An Xuan said, looking at Zuo Jing.

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"The sedan chair is gone."

The speaker was Chen Qiang. He looked every bit the student, speaking in a gentle, unassuming manner.

"That's nothing," Shi Liaozhi fiddled with his messy hair, looking quite disheveled. "Things like this happen often in missions. You'll get used to it."

"A body disappearing for no reason?" Chen Qiang looked at him, as if sincerely seeking an answer.

"Exactly."

"Does anyone remember where the sedan chair was parked last night?" A muffled voice chimed in as You Qi asked, "I remember it was somewhere around here."

"Are there no traces on the ground?" Shi Liaozhi asked, lowering his head as he searched.

"Is it here?"

Following Chen Qiang's pointing finger, Qin Jian was the first to step forward. Amidst the chaotic footprints, he discovered a few orderly indentations.

Although they had been somewhat disturbed by the footprints, they were still quite clear upon closer inspection.

"Huh?"

You Qi seemed to have noticed something. He squatted beside the marks, examining them while brushing the ground with his hand.

Shi Liaozhi noticed this and walked over to look. "What did you find?"

You Qi didn't hide it. He stepped back slightly, making room, and pointed at the marks on the ground. "Look," he said, "what do you think made these?"

"The sedan chair, right?" Shi Liaozhi looked around. "I remember the sedan chair you all brought back last night was left here."

At this, he seemed to recall something and couldn't help but swallow hard. The female paper figure inside that sedan chair last night had nearly scared him to death.

The first time he saw it, he almost fainted.

What was even more eerie was that no matter which angle you looked at it from, the female paper figure seemed to be smiling at you.

(End of the Chapter)

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