Task

Chen Chao didn't work overtime at Tean for long; two hours later, he had Steve pick him up.

On the way back to the villa, Chen Chao leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, trying to detach himself from work. He wouldn't have done this before, but now he didn't want the superior-subordinate relationship to interfere with the time he spent alone with Steve.

"How did you feel seeing your father today?" Chen Chao asked Steve.

“Uncle is very kind.” Steve recalled Chen Fei’s words of concern to him.

There wasn't much to talk about between him and Chen Fei. He didn't know anything about the Chen family's daily life, while everything about him was transparent to Chen Fei, recorded in his file.

So, he couldn't join in on the Chen family's daily life, and mentioning his daily life would feel like a work report, which was quite awkward. Therefore, Chen Fei only said one thing: don't be reserved outside of work, and let Chen Chao do what he should do.

With just a simple sentence, he not only acknowledged their relationship but also gave him the confidence to treat Chen Chao as an equal. It was truly a sentence worth a thousand words.

"Then come home with me often from now on," Chen Chao said with a smile.

"But actually you're so busy that you don't go back home much, right?" Steve teased Chen Chao in a relaxed mood.

"I'll still try my best to go back for the holidays," Chen Chao said with a hint of helplessness. "Chen Jiu should also come back for the New Year."

“I hope we’ll both be free during the Chinese New Year,” Steve said.

Neither he, Chen Chao, nor Chen Jiu are in a state where they can be free whenever they want. After all, people who want to cause trouble don't look at the calendar and choose a day.

Steve sensed a subtle shift in his relationship with Chen Chao since that day. He no longer constantly looked up to Chen Chao, his every word and action cautious and restrained. Chen Chao, in turn, became increasingly uninhibited in revealing his carefree side in front of him.

He knew that Chen Chao had a bad temper when he woke up, but in the past, out of politeness, Chen Chao would try his best not to vent.

He learned that Chen Chao was actually quite sharp-tongued, offering scathing critiques of both current affairs news on television and the incompetent subordinates of the Special Security Bureau. He simply couldn't reveal this due to his image as a magnanimous and composed perfect boss.

Steve was stunned for a long time when he first heard Chen Chao criticize a news commentator on a 9 PM drama, saying that the person's imagination was comparable to that of an ICU patient in a mental hospital, but his brain nucleus was probably not even half the size of the patient's. He had never heard Chen Chao be so sarcastic.

"Chen Chao, so you can swear like that too?" He placed the sliced ​​fruit on the table and couldn't help but sigh.

"Is it strange?" Chen Chao took a piece of kiwi and put it in his mouth.

“It’s not surprising, it just suddenly made me realize that you’re human too, and not always perfect.” Steve sat down next to Chen Chao and picked up a piece of orange.

"Of course I'm human, what, a ghost?" Chen Chao rolled his eyes, somewhat speechless. "Besides, didn't you already know I wasn't perfect?"

From the moment you stumbled upon my weariness in the darkness, I have been imperfect.

“That’s different. Violence isn’t a drawback in your position; it’s practically part of it. But this mean-spirited, anti-stupid image is quite endearing. It shows that even though you rationally know there’s nothing you can do about these commentators saying these things, you still feel disgusted emotionally. That’s not very Chenchao-like,” Steve said with a smile.

"Do you like me like this?" Chen Chao suddenly pinned Steve down.

"I like it." Steve obediently opened his mouth and gently bit the strawberry Chen Chao offered.

Their private lives were relaxed and peaceful, but their passion remained intense. Regardless of how they interacted in daily life, Steve was always willing to silently endure everything Chen Chao vented during their passions.

Chen Chao's tyranny made him feel completely possessed, which he liked, and Chen Chao's strength couldn't really hurt him.

Chen Chao harbors a savage beast within him, and he is willing to be the garden where this beast roams.

Steve's rehabilitation progressed quickly, and T&T's training facilities automatically analyzed and recorded the training data.

He also knew that Chen Chao would check his health status from time to time, so he wasn't very surprised when he received Chen Chao's order that day.

That's about enough; he should rejoin the team.

He returned the gun, walked out of the shooting range, and drove to the top floor office of the Special Security Bureau.

"Boss." He stood in front of Chen Chao's desk, his back straight and his posture solemn.

The last time he stood like this was when he was ordered by Chen Chao to rescue Chen Jiu in West Africa. So much time has passed since then, it feels like a lifetime ago.

He has never taken such a long vacation before, not even when he was injured.

At that time, before going to West Africa, he was just one of his soldiers.

Now, he is more than just his soldier.

"Mission." Chen Chao pushed the signed mission sheet to him.

He stepped forward, took the book, and quickly began to read it.

“No problem, I’ll leave tomorrow.” His voice was steady and short, without any hesitation.

It was a simple task for him; Chen Chao was probably just letting him warm up and get a feel for the game.

"Have you carefully reviewed the list of personnel who need to be removed?" Chen Chao asked.

“I’ve checked it, no problem.” Steve knew what Chen Chao was referring to, but he never questioned the orders Chen Chao had signed.

“Very good.” Chen Chao nodded.

Steve wisely took a step back, turned around, and left the office.

He was still wearing Chen Chao's clothes, but he knew perfectly well that inside Te An's building, he was nothing more than his gun.

In the dead of night, in a small town on the northwestern border, a shadowy figure, concealed in the darkness, nimbly scaled the second-floor attic. Before entering, he had scanned the area with an infrared imager; the first floor was empty, and all the targets were on the second floor.

The professional instrument with gel silently cut open the window glass, and the moment he stepped inside, he saw the maid walking out from around the corner, carrying a tea set.

A chrome-plated black dagger swiftly sliced ​​across the servant's neck, blood spurting out, but the servant, her mouth covered, couldn't utter a sound. She stared in horror, incredulously watching the spurting blood mercilessly take her life.

Her body went limp, and the tea set slipped from her hands. Before it shattered on the ground, the fine celadon tea set was caught steadily by a pair of tactical-gloved hands and gently placed on the ground.

The study door opened, and he instinctively turned his head to dodge the bullet that came right at his face. 0.1 seconds later, he drew his gun, chambered a round, and fired without aiming.

The silenced pistol only made a soft clicking of the firing pin, and he heard a man's panicked voice coming from behind the table.

He frowned slightly behind the mask, realizing he had been hit.

A sharp gust of wind swept over, and in an instant he had already exchanged thirty blows with his opponent.

He was a professional expert, and he made the judgment.

But.

He turned around, and the dagger pierced the other man's left chest with pinpoint accuracy.

He was better.

The other person stared at him in disbelief, then slowly slumped down.

Without turning around, he drew his gun directly at the panicked man behind the desk and released the safety.

"No, don't kill me. Let me explain, I didn't mean to, and the data is still..."

"Pfft!" The silenced pistol made a soft sound, and bright red blood instantly appeared between the man's eyebrows.

He didn't need explanations; he only followed orders. He was the gun, and he trusted his gunman.

"Dad, didn't you say you'd read me a picture book later..."

A little girl in her pajamas walked into the study, bewildered, but before she could even see what was in the room, everything went black and she lost consciousness.

The high concentration of drug injected into her mouth allowed her to pass away without pain, like a sleeping princess.

A family of five, plus two servants and a foreign spy, all perished within half an hour. All hard drives and chips with storage capabilities were taken, and all traces of the battle were erased. A final fire wiped everything away.

Steve threw a handful of yellow earth into the fire, silently praying that the girl would be reborn into an ordinary family and grow up happily.

Then he turned around resolutely and left the place without leaving a trace.

He was Tean's gun, carrying out every order signed by Chen Chao without hesitation.

Steve returned to the capital, Gailal, returned the equipment, handed in the mission manual, and then went back to Meishan Villa to wait for Chen Chao to get off work.

From that moment on, his life returned to its previous rhythm, his daily routine was filled with missions, and he appeared on behalf of Tean in the places where he was most needed.

Cleanup, assassination, protection, security system dismantling... He operates in the shadows, handling all the dirty work.

The only change was that during breaks between missions, he no longer returned to his own studio apartment, but instead went back to Chen Chao's villa.

Their villa.

"Ouch!" Chen Chao accidentally pressed on his shoulder, and he was immediately in pain and couldn't bear it.

"How did you get hurt?" Chen Chao was taken aback; he hadn't seen any injury report.

"I got grazed while dodging bullets. I wasn't bleeding because I was wearing tactical gear, but the impact left a bruise. It's a minor injury, nothing serious," Steve said nonchalantly.

"Have you been to the hospital?" Chen Chao asked, still worried.

"We've checked, the bone is fine. Just apply some medicine and it'll be fine in a while." After each mission, they would routinely go to the hospital in Te'an for a check-up.

"Okay, it's good that everything's alright." Chen Chao didn't dwell on it too much, let go of her hand, and picked up the document again to start reading.

Steve has been on missions more frequently lately, and the villa is filled with more smoke and blood than usual. Chen Chao has gotten used to the occasional small wounds on Steve's body; after all, Steve is a special agent, not a delicate canary.

On evenings when he had time, Chen Chao would apply medicine to Steve's wounds, avoiding the affected areas when they hugged. But Steve never seemed to care much; he wanted Chen Chao to enjoy himself and didn't want trivial injuries to spoil their romance.

After the passionate moment that day, Steve sat on the bed after taking a shower, looking at Chen Chao with a hesitant expression.

"What's wrong?" Chen Chao asked, puzzled.

“I know I shouldn’t ask too much about work, but have you been bothered by me lately?” Steve asked hesitantly.

Chen Chao looked at Steve in silence for a while, but Steve, meeting Chen Chao's gaze, did not give up.

After a brief standoff, Chen Chao finally relented: "Why are you always so sensitive to my emotions?"

“Because I’m the outlet for your emotions, boss.” Steve laughed.

"It's nothing serious, and I don't want you involved at this stage," Chen Chao admitted.

"Raman?"

"It's related to him, but it's not him." Chen Chao shook his head. "Go to sleep. I'll tell you when I need to."

“Okay, but boss, I can’t be a burden to you, no matter what role I play.”

“You’re not.” Chen Chao grabbed Steve’s head and pulled it to his chest, forcefully turning off the light. “Go to sleep.”

Steve gazed at Chen Chao's serene face in the darkness, his eyes as deep as the sea. After Chen Chao's breathing became long and even, he gently kissed Chen Chao's forehead, then drifted off to sleep to the sound of Chen Chao's heartbeat.

Even if it's his own business, as long as Chen Chao doesn't want him to know, then he won't know, and there's nothing to worry about.