"Excuse me, sir, may I trouble you for a favor?" A soft and delicate voice arose from behind.
Turning around, Xiang Ri was initially reluctant, but upon seeing the stunning woman—a woman with a curvaceous figure and the very type he was fond of, resembling the pony-tailed woman he had first encountered in Chu Chu—his willingness to help was instantly ignited.
There's an old saying, isn't there? To refuse the request of a beautiful woman invites divine retribution. Xiang Ri had no intention of invoking such a fate, nor did he harbor any impure thoughts. He simply wished to assist this beautiful lady, and with an air of gentlemanly grace, he asked, "Miss, is there anything I can do to help?"
"It's like this… I'm suddenly feeling quite unwell, probably... it's that time of the month. Could you help me call a car?" The lady blushed as she gently pressed her hand to her abdomen.
Xiang Ri immediately understood what she meant, a bitter smile forming on his face. So it was this kind of help she required.
While silently lamenting his bad luck, the woman suddenly crouched down, a look of distress crossing her face. Xiang Ri immediately approached, thinking she was experiencing a sudden flare-up. The monthly "discomfort" women endure was something he couldn't quite understand, but he couldn't help but think the lady had been careless—knowing her condition, she should have been more cautious rather than wandering about without precaution.
Though he muttered in dismay, Xiang Ri still maintained a polite, gentlemanly demeanor. "Miss, are you all right?"
"I'm... I'm fine. Could you perhaps lend me a hand?" The lady lowered her head, seemingly embarrassed.
Xiang Ri didn't hesitate; after all, he couldn't refuse a beautiful woman's request. He quickly extended his hand to assist her.
But then, his gaze froze abruptly. He had noticed the distinctive calluses on the lady's hand, particularly on her index and middle fingers. It was an unusual, thickened patch—definitely not from doing manual labor. He could swear it was the kind of callus formed from years of gripping a gun and pulling a trigger.
Xiang Ri had seen such calluses before, on another woman—the alluring "Ice Sister" he had met the first time he visited Chu Chu's home.
Realizing something was amiss, Xiang Ri suddenly became aware of the inconsistencies. He had been momentarily distracted by the lady's soft-spoken request, but now that he had gathered his wits, the cracks in her façade were unmistakable.
First of all, it was questionable whether a beautiful woman would even ask a stranger for such a favor. But more importantly, what if this man had malicious intent? Wouldn't that make her easy prey?
Any woman who could ask such a request without a hint of concern about her safety must possess a certain self-assurance—confidence in her own strength. Such a woman would certainly never ask a man for assistance with something as delicate and personal as this unless she believed she could easily handle any situation herself.
A glint of amusement flashed in Xiang Ri's eyes. "Miss, would you like me to take you to the nearby hospital?" Despite having already deduced the truth, he feigned ignorance, pretending to offer concern. He was deeply curious about what her true intentions were in using such a tactic on him.
"Thank you, but I'd rather handle this myself," the lady replied, her voice soft, as she placed her hand on his shoulder, slowly rising. As she did, her slender fingers discreetly pressed something small, about the size of a soybean, onto his shoulder.
Although it was only a light touch, Xiang Ri's keen awareness detected the anomaly, though he made no outward show of it. Instead, he casually asked again, "Are you sure you don't need me to accompany you?"
"No, it's fine. Just help me call a car," she insisted.
"Very well," Xiang Ri said with a feigned reluctance. Supporting her left side, he quickly guided her head past his shoulder and casually released her, saying, "Wait here for a moment. I'll call a car for you." With that, he turned and walked towards the roadside to hail a taxi.
As he walked, Xiang Ri opened his hand, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. Although he had never directly handled such things, he immediately recognized the object in his palm—it was a listening device. High-tech, indeed.
Yet, Xiang Ri couldn't quite fathom who might want to monitor him, or what they hoped to learn from his conversations. Since his return from France, he hadn't yet crossed paths with any powerful figures or organizations. The only potential culprits were the English-speaking mad dogs he had angered in France over a small blue booklet, but after their leader had been taken care of, it seemed unlikely they'd be able to move this quickly—especially in his own country, where their influence was limited.
Could it be that...
Xiang Ri's heart suddenly clenched. It wasn't as though he hadn't crossed paths with dangerous individuals; hadn't he just encountered a general earlier that morning? He was certain that such a person had the ability to send a few operatives to monitor him in such a short span of time. While a listening device might be a rare item for some, to him it was no different from the trivial toys one might find at a street vendor's stall, readily available for bulk purchase. It seemed entirely plausible that they were curious about how he managed to acquire such a device, and thus sent someone to probe into his affairs.
With that thought, a sudden clarity washed over him. He had always known this day would come; he simply hadn't expected them to arrive so swiftly. Well, if they had come, so be it. Their presence would only increase his own safety. Even if those rabid dogs, who had lost the small blue booklet, sought to attack him, with a team of free bodyguards covertly watching over him, what harm could there be?
Having deduced their intentions, Xiang Ri found himself amused by the idea of toying with the woman who had planted the listening device on him. Although he had nothing to hide and wasn't particularly concerned about being monitored, the thought that they might be spying on private moments with his wife was more than a little unsettling.
Thus, as a warning to his superior and to express his displeasure, this woman would become the target of his antics. Moreover, he was certain that the woman pretending to be a "relative" was not particularly bright, resorting to such crude methods to approach him. Did she truly think him some aimless, spoiled fool?
In truth, Xiang Ri wasn't mistaken. His outward appearance led others to believe just that, and so, his intellectual prowess was grossly underestimated.
When Xiang Ri failed to hail a cab and returned unusually fast, the lady was not only surprised but also subtly cautious. "Sir, is there something wrong?"
"Yes," Xiang Ri responded, following her lead. "I suddenly remembered something very important and may no longer be able to help you with the cab. Would it be alright if I helped you to a spot where you can wait for one yourself?"
Though the lady initially hesitated, the fear of arousing suspicion quickly made her agree, "Alright."
The moment the words left her lips, Xiang Ri's arm swept around her waist, pulling her closer with a slight pressure, and her entire body was now pressed intimately against his.
But that was not all. He boldly guided her right arm around his neck, and the two walked toward the roadside in such a close embrace. The lady, though burning with desire to break his neck, could not act immediately and was forced to endure the man's advances.
However, she had clearly underestimated his intentions. Xiang Ri knew she wouldn't expose him, so he grew bolder, slipping his hand lower until it rested on her delicate backside, squeezing it with a firm grip.
The lady shuddered violently, nearly losing control and launching herself at him, but she ultimately held herself back.
At last, she understood the man's sinister purpose. It wasn't some urgent matter that had brought him here—he had simply sought a pretext to take advantage of her.
"Damn it, I won't let you get away with this," she thought, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared at him.
Xiang Ri, completely unfazed, pretended not to notice her fiery gaze, "accidentally" giving her another playful squeeze before finally releasing her.
Truth be told, this woman was quite something. However, as they reached the roadside, Xiang Ri felt a quiet satisfaction, though his face betrayed no emotion. "Miss, since we're here, I have urgent matters to attend to. I must be on my way."
The lady, her words almost gritted through her teeth, replied, "Thank you! I will repay this 'great favor' today, mark my words."
"No need to thank me!" Xiang Ri responded, hearing the unspoken meaning in her words. He chuckled softly, "Helping others is its own reward. If you ever find yourself in such a predicament again, feel free to come to me for help."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Xiang Ri was already sprinting off, as though there truly was something of great importance awaiting his attention.
The lady, her teeth clenched in hatred, watched his retreating figure and silently vowed, "You'd better hope I don't catch you, or I will make you regret this!"
After the man disappeared from sight, several figures emerged suddenly from a barbershop around the corner, making their way toward the woman.
"Lan, how did it go?" asked one of the young men, his features handsome and sharp.
"Mm!" The woman nodded slightly, signaling that the task had been completed. The cold aura that had been suppressed for the mission now began to resurface, transforming her once more into the ice-cold beauty that men dared not approach.
"Haha, Lan, it seems you were taken advantage of quite a bit just now," remarked a peculiar youth with bright red hair, his words tinged with jealousy.
The icy beauty shot him a cold, cutting glance, causing the youth to shrink back in fear. "I was only joking, don't take it seriously..."
"If you wish to die, I can arrange a quick departure for you," she retorted, her voice as chilling as ever.
"Enough," the handsome young man interjected, silencing the banter. He retrieved a small, exquisite earpiece from his jacket pocket and placed it into his ear.
After waiting for a while, he was puzzled to hear nothing. The earpiece should have been picking up sounds within a three-meter radius, yet there was complete silence. Had the man perhaps already gone to a secluded spot?
The peculiar youth, noticing the prolonged silence, asked, "Boss, is everything alright?"
That simple question caused the handsome young man's face to change dramatically. He had heard the question clearly, but when the same words echoed from the earpiece, it was most unusual. The only explanation for this was that the listening device had not been placed on the target at all—it was still at the scene.
Realizing this, the handsome young man turned to the icy beauty. "Lan, are you sure the device was placed on him?"
For a moment, the beauty was taken aback, but without hesitation, she answered, "Yes!"
The handsome young man removed the earpiece, his confusion evident. "I just heard Red's voice."
"How could that be?" The beauty's face drained of color as she finally understood why the boss had asked what he did. Her expression darkened to an ashen hue as she suddenly paused mid-sentence. Her hand instinctively reached for her backside, and upon touching a small, granular object, her face turned ashen.
Upon inspection, it was indeed the listening device that had been intended for the man.
The tall youth and the peculiar young man, witnessing the scene, exchanged sympathetic glances, their gaze directed toward the ice beauty who had been both taken advantage of and failed in her mission.
"That bastard, I'll make him pay!" The beauty's expression hardened, and a chilling aura enveloped her, even colder than before, causing the peculiar youth to retreat several steps in alarm. This was not merely the indignation of being taken advantage of—it was the humiliation of being toyed with.
The handsome young man sighed. He knew that any hope of covert surveillance was now impossible. They would have to resort to more direct methods. "If subtlety fails, then let's be more overt about it."