His merits overshadowed those of his master.
"Since you are one of Master Yuan's men, why do you come to me and offer yourself up? What do you expect me to do?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Xici pursed her lips and smiled, saying, "Commander Li is just joking with me. How come I can't recall ever volunteering myself?"
Li Xiangyan remained silent, his gaze growing increasingly somber. Knowing he was deep in thought, I also fell silent.
Suddenly, he chuckled and said, "Miss Qiu, aren't you afraid that Master Yuan will become suspicious of you staying here so late?"
"That depends on whether Commander Li is willing to take pity on me."
He took a cigarette from the box and put it to his lips, biting down on it. His head drooped, his hair falling over his brow, covering a small scar.
The scent of tobacco wafted around the two of them, and he had a unique hazy aura about him.
"Pity you?"
"How pitiful does Miss Qiu want to be?"
He was so tall that he blocked her view completely. The light wasn't particularly striking, and the corner where they stood created an atmosphere of tension.
"The commander will make the decision. Since I'm just drifting around, what basis do I have?"
He adopted a languid demeanor, and the depths of his irises glowed with a color that was neither brown nor black, carrying a profound sense of inquiry.
"Miss Qiu, why don't you tell me whether Master Yuan is a Communist or not? If you tell me, I'll pity you however I feel."
Qiu Xici walked a few steps past him, then turned back to meet his gaze.
"If I say no, you might not believe me. But in truth, whether he is or not makes no difference to you; I know what you want."
Even if he is, it would be more beneficial than harmful to you.
Regardless, Commander Li, you get to enjoy the thrill of being in control of the entire situation. Isn't that enough?
Her smile was impenetrable; his probing failed to create any cracks in her face, her smile was flawless.
When the cigarette burned out, he lit another one and held it to her lips, intending to leave a bright red mark around her mouth.
He started sucking again, following the lipstick mark she had bitten.
"You're trying to excuse him. If I kept a Communist working for me, wouldn't I be tired of living?"
Before she could say anything, he spoke again: "Fortunately, Third Master is a pragmatic man and would not want to put me to death."
After saying that, he looked at her, his expression a mixture of a smile and something else.
This time, Qiu Xi remained silent. She sat calmly in the chair by the window, seemingly uninterested in what he was saying. Her fingers hung down, resting on her lap.
"As night falls, every household turns off their lights. What do you think they are doing at this time?" The speaker's tone was calm, as if genuinely expressing curiosity.
Lee Sang-yeon looked out the window, then walked to the chair where she was sitting. First, he rubbed his knuckles against her face, then his palm, and finally leaned his face close to hers.
A woman who schemed to get close to him, and a man who pretended to know everything about her.
That's just how human love is; it can be real yet fake, and fake yet real.
"Miss Qiu, please lie down there yourself."
Crowded, dark, excessively exaggerated
Qiu Xici stood up and walked to the bedside, her face still expressionless.
They stared at each other intensely. He took off his coat, held it in his hand, and then roughly threw it into her arms, knocking her down onto the bed.
As they exchanged physical contact, he lightly rested his head on her shoulder, his lips close to her ear, and whispered, "I know your secret." Then he gently kissed her earlobe.
Qiu Xici smiled and said, "Then please keep this a secret for me, Commander Li."
"Since you're so confident, what are you planning to offer me in exchange?"
She turned around, took a photograph from the pocket of her clothes on the bedside table, and handed it to him.
"I know your secret too."
Lee Sang-yeon froze upon seeing the photo, then smiled dismissively.
"I thought I had raised a good dog this time, but I never expected it to be a vicious one that actually tried to bite me."
She smiled faintly: "Of course I'm the commander's dog, but even a dog can't be kept without food."
He stared at her for a while, then gently stroked the flushed part of her cheek.
"It's a dog with a beautiful coat, and I like having it around."
...
As the sky began to turn blue, he woke up, propped his head up, looked at her for a while, then got up, opened the door, and left.
Hearing the door close, she sat up and slowly put on her clothes. Then she stood up, walked to the armrest of the chair, picked up the white silk gloves and the dark black lace veil that were placed there, and put them on.
The early autumn morning wasn't cold enough. As she walked to the door, a man in military uniform approached her respectfully and said, "Miss Qiu, the commander has instructed me to escort you back."
She nodded slightly in agreement, got into the car, and wearily leaned her head against the window.
When the car pulled up in front of the Late Spring Hotel, she looked around in a daze, as if she had been dreaming for a long time.
"Thanks."
She went inside; the lobby was empty. She continued forward to the elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, she saw Yun Muchun turn the corner from the side and was about to enter as well.
"Miss Qiu, why are you only just getting back? Did you get too carried away at the ball and forget the way to the hotel?"
The two smiled at each other. She took off one glove, held it in her palm, and quietly slipped it into her coat pocket before leaving.
"Well then, I'll be going now."
She stepped onto the rough, dark red carpet and slowly moved forward.
Finally, they stopped in front of a door and knocked.
Nearly three minutes later, the door slowly opened. She looked at the person opposite her and gently tapped a spot on their collar.
Yuan Siyuan glanced at her almost imperceptibly, then turned and went deeper into the room, and she followed him inside.
Where did you go last night?
"Didn't Third Master already know?"
He slammed the teacup on the table to the ground and said, "So eager to throw yourself into his arms? I really underestimated you."
"Why are you so angry, Third Master? I am someone who cannot be seen in the light of day. I have no official title, so it will not damage your reputation if people find out about me."
During the argument, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at her forehead.
A faint gray-black shadow drifted past the window. They exchanged a glance, and he put the gun back in its place.
...
Damp, dim, and human-like
"Unfortunately, I've already met with Li Xiangyan, and we should be able to get the exact location of the item by next month." Yun Muchun said, then drew a line drawing on a piece of paper.
"The first step of the plan is over. But Lee Sang-yeon has long been suspicious of our identities. If we can't come up with a clever way to outmaneuver him, we'll end up being wiped out."
After a moment of silence, Rao Ming said, "Since you share the same origin, don't come here recently. You are Li Xiangyan's key targets for surveillance, so you must not give anything away."
The two nodded in agreement. Qiu Xici took a step and leaned against the table, saying, "But there's no point in doing more. He already knows we're suspicious. Rather than constantly making him suppress his feelings, we should find his weaknesses."
Yun Muchun smiled and said, "So you've found Xici?"
“I used this photo to test him,” she said, taking out the photo and placing it on the table. Several people gathered around to look at it.
"The woman in this photo is Lee Sang-yeon's older sister, but they are not born of the same mother."
Yao Yimei frowned, somewhat puzzled, and said, "The Li family has deep roots, so it's probably unrealistic to use his sister as a hostage."
"No, it's not about using his sister as leverage, but about using his feelings for her as leverage."
"You mean, Lee Sang-yeon developed feelings for her sister that he shouldn't have?"
Qiu Xici glanced back at the photo and tapped the edge of it with her fingertip, saying, "Based on my current observation, that's probably the case. Besides, I've already tested him, so there shouldn't be much of a discrepancy."
The group paused for a moment, then Yuan Siyuan asked, "Miss Qiu is planning to go see her?"
"She will arrive in Minkou next Wednesday, and Li Xiangyan will definitely pick her up then."
They exchanged a knowing glance, and Rao Ming said, "Xiao Yao and Mu Chun, I'll have to continue to rely on you for the connection."
"Mr. Rao can rest assured."
...
As Yuan Siyuan passed by the front hall, he was stopped by someone sitting inside: "Third Master Yuan, your letter."
He took the address, glanced at it quickly, and stuffed it into the pocket inside his clothes. Then he went up to the rooftop and, using the faint moonlight, opened the seal and began to read:
"Huai Xiankun is working for the Wang puppet government, so from now on, he must not send any more family letters to the Second Madam."
Everything is normal at home. Please take good care of yourself...
The pale yellow light lay casually on one end of the letter. He took out a match from the box and struck it. A flame suddenly shot out and stained one end of the paper.
Wildfire cannot burn it all.
...
"I'll go pick her up for you. Just tell her I'm your personal secretary."
She wore a long black silk robe and a brown-green skirt. Her hair was neatly tied up, adorned with a copper wire bird-shaped hair clip, and she moved with graceful elegance. She smiled gently.
She took a few steps forward, getting closer to him, and said, "Or you could say I'm your secret lover, and guess if she gets jealous."
Lee Sang-yeon's gaze moved from the two delicate paintings on the hem of her skirt to her eyes.
"You're a dog I keep underground, a dog, remember your place." He seemed unperturbed, leaning his elbow against the wall as he looked at her indifferently.
"Don't always try to outshine your superiors, or you'll end up starving to death."
He laughed after saying that, and she laughed along with him.
He laughed and tossed a few pieces of clothing onto the bedside.
When someone is talking about something, who would actually want to be furious?
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