Who was the one behind the information leak?

The question lingered in Xia Lei’s mind. If the culprit was still on the loose, there’s no telling if it would happen again. He survived only because he was lucky enough to receive Zhu Xuanyue’s help. There was no guarantee if he would be there the next time.

If Zhu Xuanyue had not arrived in the nick of time, Tang Yuyan would have died a humiliating death while he would have fallen into the hands of the enemy. Although he and Tang Yuyan had survived the ordeal, Bagu and Marcus weren’t so fortunate. Amanda and Park Taeyong both were captured by Dark Mona. There was no way Xia Lei would have their sufferings be in vain! It was up to him to avenge them

The passing of Marcus and Bagu had the Peace Mansion veiled in sadness.

After returning to the Peace Mansion, Xia Changhe brought Xia Lei and Yelena to the shrine in the backyard. There, they lit an incense each and mourn over Bagu and Marcus. After that, they retreated to a secret room within the mansion.

“Has Dark Mona contacted you yet?” asked Xia Changhe as soon as they stepped into the room.

“No, not yet, I can’t reach Amanda’s number. The only thing we can do now is wait for their call to work out a deal,” Xia Lei sighed as he answered.

“Are you really going to give Dark Mona fifty million USD?” questioned Yelena.

“I won’t give up on Amanda and Park Taeyong. Everyone in the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team is equal and we’re a family.” Xia Lei’s answer was resolute.

Touched by his words, a small smile appeared on Yelena’s lips. If Xia Lei treated Amanda and Park Taeyong as such, that would mean he’d definitely treat her the same. Fifty million USD was no small amount. There probably wasn’t another boss in this world who would do the same for two subordinates. Xia Lei meant his words and there was not the least bit of hesitation, showing how he truly cared by every member of the battle team like family. With a boss like this, there would certainly be no regrets.

“Lei Zi, don’t worry about the arrangement for Bagu and Marcus, I’ll handle it.” Xia Changhe continued, “Stay on the down-low for the time being. The person responsible for the leak must be tracked. If they betrayed you once, they’ll most likely do it again.”

“Don’t worry, dad. I’ll find out the truth,” assured Xia Lei.

“Focus on your tasks, I’ll definitely fish out the culprit.”

Xia Lei was stunned by his father’s stubbornness. “Dad, you’ve already left the scene clean, please do not involve yourself in this mess.”

“Do you really think you can manage everything alone? You need to run your company and you need to face threats from the FA organization. Things are even worse now that the Japanese are involved. Also, you need to find the traitor. Son, you have too much on your plate!” argued the father.

“How are you going to approach it?”

“You don’t need to think about that. After this turbulent period, I’ll have you meet five people I doubt you would have come across before.”

Xia Lei nodded.

The five Chinese Zodiac Battle Team members who he never met were the snake, monkey, dog, pig and the rat. These five were also away in separate locations for their mission and Xia Changhe had never once disclosed what their respective tasks were.

“Dad seems to be hiding something from me, what are the five members up to? Are they elites of the team? Why are they only used at such a crucial time?” Xia Lei couldn’t help but wonder as he left the secret room.

Xia Lei decided to return to his room instead of the factory. He drew himself a hot bath then a nice, long slumber. A night packed with action had drained him out, it was only now that he could relax.

That night while he slept, he was immersed in his dreams.

He dreamt of Zhu Xuanyue, not in the form of Martina who died in Italy but the beautiful Ming Dynasty Princess Yongmei. She descended from the sky in silver armor, wiping out all enemies with her silver sword. Then, she vanished and Tang Yuyan had appeared. The snowy mountains soon warped into a bridal chamber with everything decorated in red. He could make out red lanterns, red candles, red characters, red beddings and even a red mattress.

It was most definitely a joyous occasion.

Tang Yuyan sat at the top edge of the bed with a red cloth over her head. A delicate mandarin duck embroidered red silk handkerchief was held tightly between her fingers. Silently, she waited for him to remove her covering.

As soon the obstructing piece was peeled off, she beamed and blushed. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold. He impatiently pressed her against the bed, closing the distance in a flurry with kiss her on the lips. His hands began to roam around her body.

“Please… please be gentle, this is my first time,” mumbled Tang Yuyan shyly.

He was at his limit. There was nothing holding him back anymore. As soon as he dove down to resume their activities, the door was violently kicked open. Shocked by the noise, he turned around only to meet with a fuming Tang Yunhai. The old man was holding a Green Dragon crescent moon blade while screaming at the top of his lungs. “How dare you sleep with my granddaughter without officially registering! Go to hell!”

He wanted to flee for his life but Tang Yuyan held him tightly as she whined, “Darling, I want your children.”

He was stuck! As she continued to whine, the old man landed his blow.

“Ah!” Xia Lei jolted awake.

The skies outside the window were dark, adorned with stars. Xia Lei had unknowingly slept till nighttime.

Recalling the dream, Xia Lei couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it was. “That was so weird, why would I dream of something like that? Am I so afraid of marriage?”

Knock, knock. Someone knocked on his door.

“Director Xia, someone is here for you.” It was Yelena on the other side.

Yelena would only refer to him as Director Xia in the occasion of official visits from officers or customers. Xia Lei felt his left eye twitch and soon enough, he took in the sight of the middle-aged man standing behind Yelena. It was Song Baicheng.

Xia Lei got out of bed and out of the room but he didn’t greet Song Baicheng in the process.

Instead, he told Yelena, “Alright, you may go rest now.”

“Okay, understood.” Yelena then made her way out of the room.

It was only until then that Xia Lei greeted Song Baicheng. “I’m surprised to see you, Mister Song. What’s the matter? Why have you come this late at night?”

Song Baicheng replied, “I came all the way here to discuss the document. Are you not going to offer me a seat? Are we really going to discuss this while standing?”

Was he referring to the agreement? Xia Lei’s mind wandered to when he met Yu Shanhe before his trip to the western province. Yu Shanhe had shown him the agreement. According to it, there was a condition that had to be met for Xia Lei’s loan to be eased. He would need to appoint an administrative supervisor for the Thunder Horse Organization. Xia Lei had swiftly rejected it and embarked on his mission to avoid and pressure Yu Shanhe. Unfortunately, he had not anticipated Song Baicheng’s presence as soon as he made it back.

“Since when were you working for Yu Shanhe?” questioned Xia Lei.

“I don’t work for anyone. I’m just an employee who works for several different people. It’s quite normal.” answered the man.

“Was Ling Han relocated to your department?” Xia Lei tried to pry.

“Uh, Mister Xia, I’m here to talk about the document.” Song Baicheng was slightly irritated at Xia Lei’s line of questioning.

Xia Lei shrugged. “Okay, let’s talk.”

“Mister Xia, really? Are we really going to discuss this here?” There was a hint of anger in his eyes. Not only did Xia Lei not offer him a seat or a cup of tea, but the man was also clearly belittling him!

Xia Lei laughed. “Oops, forgive my rude behavior. Here, please take a seat.”

Song Baicheng was speechless. Outside of Xia Lei’s bedroom was a corridor and there weren’t any tables or chairs to be seen. Could Xia Lei really be asking him to sit on the floor?

Amidst his confusion, Xia Lei plopped down to sit on a marble step. He smiled at Song Baicheng. “Here, Mister Song. Come take a seat, we can talk.”

Wow, he really did that.

Song Baicheng scoffed. “Nevermind, I’ll pass, you can sit all you want. I’ll leave as soon as I’m done.”

“Alright then.”

Song Baicheng muttered coldly, “I’m sure you’ve already read the document.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Do you understand everything inside?”

“Yeah, I’m clear about it.”

“Okay, that makes things easier for me. Let’s jump into it.” Song Baicheng continued, “I have a message from Officer Yu. He said that there will be no changes to the document and that he will not be patient anymore. This also means that we will not extend its validity infinitely. You must give him a clear answer tomorrow before office hours end.”

“What is he in a rush for?”

“Officer Yu just wants to close the deal as soon as possible. If you’ve made your decision, you may tell me now. If you wish to sign the agreement now, I have a signed copy by Officer Yu and I’ll be your witness.”

“Why are you in a rush too?”

“Mister Xia!” Song Baicheng was at his limits. “How could you say that I’m in a rush? You’ve got to be kidding me. This has nothing to do with me! This document concerns Thunder Horse Organization’s debt that totals up to more than twenty billion! You’ve already enjoyed the advantage and yet you’re saying that I and Officer Yu are rushing? This is too much!”

“Hey, calm down.” Xia Lei was unfazed by his mini-rant.

“I’m telling you, it’s entirely your own decision. I’ve already done my part and you need to give Officer Yu an answer tomorrow. Agreeing to it means you’re free of the twenty billion debt, not signing it would mean that you’ll continue to be bothered by it,” spat Song Baicheng as he left.

Xia Lei watched his back as he left and began to ponder. “I can’t believe Song Baicheng went to work with Yu Shanhe. If Song Baicheng had left, would Ling Han still remain in the ZN department after Fan Fan won the dispute of interest? He would definitely leave the place. There was no way he’d accept defeat and be oppressed by her. If Ling Hao had gone to Yu Shanhe too, the man would be a formidable one. But why is Yu Heshan so desperate for an outcome?”

Suddenly, he heard approaching footsteps.

The approaching sound interrupted Xia Lei’s thoughts to which he had turned to face the source. It was Fan Fan, clad in her black office attire. Her tailored black blazer accentuated the curves of her waist while the blouse inside exposed a span of white, pale skin along with a peek of her cleavage. Her short black skirt was only long enough to cover her bottom as it hugged her hips tightly, showing off her round, thick peach-like buttocks. There was even a slight hint of makeup on her face, faint lipstick, light eyeshadow, long wispy lashes and her beautiful big eyes. Not only did she radiate the sex appeal of a mature woman, but her aura also shone with one of a leader and scholar. Those elements were mixed together to create the ultimate stunner.

Fan Fan had the highest rank among the people Xia Lei had slept with and she was the only woman with a special constitution he had ever met.

She slowly made her way over, her long legs on full display. Her faint perfume and soft voice hit him even before she reached him. “Why are you sitting on the floor?”

“I was waiting for you. I knew you were coming,” answered Xia Lei as he stood up.

She stopped beside him, reaching a hand over to give his butt a few pats. “Look at you, there’s dust on your pants.”

Xia Lei was at a loss of words. “What can I help you with?”

“No, I’m not here to talk about you. Let’s go in.”

“...”