Gradually, Wang Yu felt his heart race, his eyes uncontrollably peering into Lin Xi's neckline, that hint of red that teased his senses, accelerating his breath and boiling his blood.
Wang Yu shook his head and sharply pinched his arm, the pain momentarily bringing him back to his senses, but only a few seconds later, he was back to where he started.
Wang Yu shook his head and scoffed at himself, when had he become so easily unsettled? Ridiculous that he, the world's top assassin, could be unnerved by a woman. If his brothers knew, they'd be laughing their heads off.
But then again, Wang Yu's reaction was understandable. He was a normal man with normal desires; he had never been with a woman, and now there was a beautiful one right beside him. It would be abnormal if he had no reaction at all; he wasn't a eunuch.
After several minutes, Wang Yu couldn't stand it anymore; he gently moved Lin Xi's head off his shoulder, opened the car door, and stepped out. If he stayed any longer, he might do something to Lin Xi that he didn't want to happen.
Once outside, Wang Yu lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, the nicotine finally quelling the restlessness within. Leaning against the car, he looked out at Shen City's night sky, suddenly feeling lost.
For eight years, he'd skirted the line of death, with one belief in his heart—to return to Shen City and reunite with Uncle Quan and the others. Now that he was back, everything was gone. Uncle Quan was dead, Xiao Xue was missing, his home was gone, leaving only Chen Cheng. What was he to do with the rest of his life?
A gust of night wind startled Wang Yu. No! He wasn't alone, he had his brothers and a mission awaiting completion. "Dark Night" had been severely damaged, and he would restore "Dark Night" to the peak of Assassin World.
With that thought, Wang Yu clenched his jaw and flicked the cigarette butt away. The embers traced a beautiful arc in the air before falling to the ground.
Opening the rear door and glancing at the sleeping Lin Xi, Wang Yu bid her a silent farewell, ready to leave. Just then, Lin Xi woke from her slumber and frowned, "Are we there?"
Wang Yu smiled faintly and nodded, "Yes. I'm going back now. You were sleeping, so I didn't disturb you, and we are just at the entrance of the district. I don't think you'll encounter any danger."
Lin Xi's eyebrows flickered, she got out of the car and looked down at the coat she was wearing, her hand reaching toward it but then withdrew.
Wang Yu was leaving; naturally she should return his coat. But removing it would mean revealing that she was only wearing a bra underneath. So Lin Xi hesitated.
Seeing her demeanor, Wang Yu guessed her thoughts and said with a smile, "Forget it, just keep the coat." After speaking, he waved to Lin Xi, ready to leave.
But just then, a figure emerged from the neighborhood, it was Hu Liang, who had abandoned Lin Xi and run away earlier.
Seeing Hu Liang, Wang Yu felt disgusted. A man using his girlfriend as a shield for his safety, plotting an escape, didn't deserve to be called a man.
So, Wang Yu immediately turned around and returned to Lin Xi's side.
Approaching the car, Hu Liang looked at Wang Yu with distrust and asked Lin Xi, "Who is he?"
"Who he is has nothing to do with you. Hu Liang, we're done."
As Lin Xi spoke, she hooked her arm through Wang Yu's and started walking into the neighborhood.
Wang Yu was surprised, though he didn't know Lin Xi's intentions, since she had made this move, he should play along. So he matched her steps and walked together with her into the neighborhood.
Hu Liang stood there baffled and picked up the pace, blocking Wang Yu and Lin Xi's way.
"Wait, Lin Xi, what do you mean?"
"What do you mean you don't understand? Hu Liang, I always thought you were manly, but your actions were a huge disappointment. Since you could leave me to those thugs, I can certainly dump you. Please move aside!"
Lin Xi's face was expressionless, yet tears swirled in her eyes. Wang Yu knew that until this moment, Lin Xi still hadn't seen Hu Liang's true colors, otherwise she wouldn't have wasted her breath.
"Lin Xi, it's not what you think, let me explain."
As Hu Liang reached out for Lin Xi's arm, he suddenly felt an acute pain in his wrist and gasped, quickly retracting his hand.
"What do you mean?" said Hu Liang, glaring at Wang Yu with hostility. It was Wang Yu who had grabbed his wrist.
"It's simple! Take your filthy hands off and get out of our way. Are you deaf, didn't you hear what this beautiful lady said? I give you five seconds to disappear, or I'll have you lying on the ground."
Wang Yu said mockingly as he looked at Hu Liang.
"Forget it, let's not bother with him, let's go."
Perhaps it was because Lin Xi didn't want Wang Yu and Hu Liang to fight, or maybe she was afraid that Wang Yu would injure Hu Liang. Anyway, without waiting for Hu Liang to speak, Lin Xi pulled on Wang Yu's arm and moved forward. And Hu Liang didn't chase after them.
At the base of Building 7, Lin Xi let go of Wang Yu's arm and said with her head lowered, "I'm here, I live in 402 of this building. Thank you for today, you are a good person. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have been in real trouble."
Wang Yu smiled slightly and said playfully, "How do you know I'm a good person? Just because I saved you? Aren't you afraid I might have some other unspeakable motive? Let me tell you, in this world, there are many who look like gentlemen but are actually scum. Maybe I'm one of them!"
Wang Yu's words were laden with double meanings, using self-deprecation to remind Lin Xi, who wouldn't fail to understand.
Lin Xi smiled, tidying her messy hair by her ear, and looked at Wang Yu. "I understand what you mean, and I'll be more careful in the future. But I believe you are not a bad person."
After a pause, Lin Xi looked at Wang Yu and asked, "Oh, we've been talking for so long, and I still don't know your name."
"My last name is Wang, I'm called Wang Yu. If there's nothing else, I'll be going," said Wang Yu, looking at Lin Xi.
"No, that's it, goodbye!" Lin Xi said with a laugh, shaking her head, but then she asked again, "Oh Mr. Wang, where do you live?"
When someone saves you, you should repay their kindness, even if it's just inviting them for a meal. But Lin Xi didn't want to talk about repaying a debt directly, so she tried to indirectly find out where Wang Yu lived, which would make it easier for her to find him later.
"Oh, I live in the Tianhao Hotel," said Wang Yu.
"You live in a hotel?" Lin Xi was suddenly a bit surprised and asked doubtfully, "Mr. Wang, aren't you from Shen City?"
Wang Yu said with a laugh, "Of course, I'm from Shen City. Why do you ask?"
"If you're from Shen City, why don't you go home and instead live in a hotel?" Lin Xi was somewhat puzzled.
Speaking of that, Wang Yu couldn't help but feel sad, the smile on his face slowly fading, and his expression became gloomy. It wasn't that he didn't want to go home, but he had no home to return to; the orphanage that had given him so much warmth had been leveled to the ground.
"Home? Haha..." Wang Yu gave a few bitter laughs, looked up at the endless night sky, took a deep sigh, and said, "I would love to go home. But my home is no longer there."
Seeing Wang Yu's lonely expression, Lin Xi suddenly felt an inexplicable sadness. Her intuition told her that the man before her must have many stories.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was like that." After whispering an apology, Lin Xi looked at Wang Yu and asked, "What are your plans for the future? You can't possibly live in a hotel forever, can you?"
Wang Yu was stunned by the question. To be honest, he hadn't really thought about it, but since Lin Xi brought it up, he should consider it.
A moment later, Wang Yu said, "I just returned from abroad and haven't found a place to settle down yet, so I'm staying in a hotel. In a while, I'll find an apartment to move into. Do you know any places in Shen City where the rent is cheaper, Miss Lin?"
When Lin Xi heard that Wang Yu wanted to rent a place, she suddenly thought of her own house. Since her mother had passed away, there had been a spare room, so why not offer it to him? It would not only repay him for saving her life but would also mean she wouldn't be so alone.
After making up her mind, Lin Xi looked at Wang Yu and said, "Mr. Wang, there's an empty bedroom in my house. If you're really looking to rent and you don't mind, you could move in with me. As for the rent, let's forget about it."
Wang Yu thought it over and felt it might be a good idea. After all, it didn't matter where he lived, and by staying with Lin Xi, he could take care of her to prevent her from being deceived by that jerk Hu Liang again. But he certainly had to pay the rent.
"I couldn't ask for more, how could I possibly mind? But is it really convenient? Wouldn't I be disturbing your parents?" Wang Yu asked.
At these words, Lin Xi's expression instantly turned sad as she said in a low voice, "I live alone now; my mother passed away not long ago."
Wang Yu was taken aback, and then with great remorse, he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know about your situation." After a light sigh, he thought that unfortunate children were everywhere in the world. Lin Xi must have gone to the cemetery today to pay respects to her mother.
"It's okay! Life and death are fated, wealth and honor are decided by heaven. There are some things we can't control."
After saying this, Lin Xi looked at Wang Yu with a graceful smile. Her sadness came quickly but also left swiftly, showing her positive attitude.
Since there were no inconveniences, Wang Yu felt relieved and followed Lin Xi upstairs to the fourth floor.
The apartment was two bedrooms with all kinds of household appliances, cozy and neatly organized. From this, it was clear that Lin Xi was a girl who loved housework.
After entering, Lin Xi showed Wang Yu around the rooms. Soon, the two of them returned to the living room.