EM Chapter 4. Interrogation

By the time Song Feng returned to Beijing, night had already fallen. He took a quick shower, changed into casual clothes, and leaned against the wall as the exhaustion finally caught up with him. There had been three others who worked as mercenaries with him in the U.S. The one who had jumped down to find him earlier was Wei Xiaoyan. The other two had stayed behind on the helicopter. All three of them were sharp and experienced. Hiding anything from them was impossible, and he hadn’t planned to anyway.

Wei Xiaoyan saw he wasn’t moving and rushed over. As soon as he touched him, he realized Song Feng was running a high fever.

Song Feng swatted his hand away and slowly walked out. This was a temporary reception site, arranged by State Security. They knew the group would want to unwind after returning, so a car had already been prepared. Song Feng opened the passenger door and slumped into the seat, exhaling slowly, unmoving.

The three followed him into the car and headed straight for a hospital. They booked a deluxe suite, then sprawled out on the couch in the living room playing video games. They only looked up slightly when the doctor came out of the bedroom.

The doctor briefly explained the diagnosis and what to watch for. The three listened carefully, thanked him, and saw him out. One of them asked, “You think Boss took a hit from this?”

Wei Xiaoyan shook his head. “After all that’s happened, what else could even phase him? Unless something happened to his family, but from what I’ve heard, the Song family isn’t exactly easy to mess with.”

“Fair.” The other two chimed in, played a bit more, then got bored. Without a shred of politeness, they dumped Song Feng on Wei Xiaoyan to look after and went off to enjoy themselves.

Song Feng slept like the dead that night. The next day he felt much better. This was a luxury suite, complete with a personal nurse. The young nurse was sweet and sexy, attentive to every detail. Before long, he’d shaken off the unpleasantness from earlier and was lying back on the soft bed, grinning, occasionally flirting with her. Life wasn’t bad at all.

A few days passed, his injuries were mostly healed. He was debating whether to take things further with the nurse, maybe even get her into bed. But then, one day, she casually laughed and said, “Your boyfriend really takes good care of you.” That single line hit him like a brick. He collapsed back onto the bed, utterly defeated. With these kinds of wounds, he might as well have stamped “gay” on his forehead. No way to turn that around.

That realization left him completely deflated the whole morning. By noon, Wei Xiaoyan dropped by. The nurse had just finished switching out his IV and greeted the visitor with a smile. “You’re here.”

“Yeah.”

“He’s about ready to be discharged. Just keep an eye on him after.”

Wei Xiaoyan nodded and watched her leave, then turned his gaze back. “Boss? Fuck!” He ducked just in time to dodge the vase flying his way, meeting a pair of deathly cold eyes.

“H-h-hold on, let’s talk this out—”

“My girl’s gone. What the hell is there to talk about!”

Wei Xiaoyan, still shaking, carefully placed the chicken soup on the bedside table and wisely changed the subject.

“The director’s pissed. Says we vanished right after the mission. Shouldn’t you be turning in your report?”

“Fair point.” Song Feng remembered the business at hand, dropped the attitude, and grinned. “Come here. I’ve got something for you to do.”

---

Xiao Mingxuan had struggled for a few days but finally decided to let his conscience breathe a little. He drove over to State Security.

He wasn’t part of the agency. Just another princeling who’d been hanging around the inner circle of the capital for too long. He had that air of someone used to power, someone who looked like he dealt in big things. On top of that, he’d gone through military school and entered the army straight after graduation. His combat skills and marksmanship were solid enough to make the cut. That was what got him transferred in the first place. After a year of training, he began his career as a drug dealer.

He’d been operating undercover for almost two years now and had crossed paths with Wang Yizhong more than once. That man was the head of the Intelligence Department at State Security. Past forty, honest-looking, easygoing in manner, but Xiao Mingxuan knew better than to trust appearances. A man with that kind of rank wasn’t someone you underestimated. He’d already called ahead while on the road, so there were no delays when he arrived. He went straight to Wang Yizhong’s office and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

He pushed the door open and stepped inside with a smile. “Directorr Wang.”

Wang Yizhong looked up and returned the smile. “Have a seat.”

Xiao Mingxuan sat on the couch. Wang Yizhong ordered tea, then sat across from him. “How’s the break treating you?”

“Not bad.”

“Good. It’s rare to get time off. You should enjoy it.” Wang Yizhong gave him a friendly smile. “So, I’m guessing this isn’t just a social call?”

Xiao Mingxuan was a little surprised. He’d expected that if he didn’t bring up his reason for coming, the man might just keep chatting forever. After a moment’s pause, he smiled in understanding. His identity as a drug dealer hadn’t been exposed during the mission. It might still be useful later. Wang Yizhong was playing it smart, handing him a favor up front.

“It’s nothing major. I just wanted to ask. Was there someone from your side in that mercenary squad?”

Wang Yizhong stayed quiet for a moment, unsure what angle Xiao Mingxuan was playing.

Xiao Mingxuan knew this wasn’t information he could be casually given. “I just want to know how that guy is doing. After all, I’m the one who injured him.”

“So that’s what this is about. Why not just call me directly?”

“I just happened to be nearby handling something, figured I’d drop in.” Xiao Mingxuan smiled as he explained. Of course, he knew there was no need to come in person. But after thinking it through, he still chose to talk face to face. That way, he could read every shift in expression. If the man didn’t try to hide anything, he planned to dig deeper. If there was a way to make up for it, he would.

He had been playing the role of a drug dealer for nearly two years. Killing, arson, nothing he hadn’t done. His heart had gone hard a long time ago. If the man had taken a bullet to protect him, he probably wouldn’t feel much. But it wasn’t that kind of wound. And because it wasn’t, he couldn’t ignore it. There was something like a splinter lodged in his chest, barely visible, but enough to make him restless. So he came.

Wang Yizhong sat drinking tea with a smile, but he was simmering inside. He’d only found out the team had gone out the night they returned. It was typical of them, so he hadn’t thought much of it. But days passed and the four of them had all but vanished. If he hadn’t called first, they might have completely forgotten about him. One of those bastards was still missing, and no one knew where the hell he’d gone.

He’d asked the staff at the guesthouse. They said it was just some scrapes, nothing serious. But if that were true, why would this young master make a personal inquiry? And what did he mean by I’m the one who caused it?

Just as he was still wondering, the phone on the desk rang. He gave an apologetic smile and got up to answer.

“Hello… You still remember how to come back? Yeah, I’m in the office. You’re coming up? Wait. Don’t tell me you’re already— Hello? Hello?”

He hung up and turned to Xiao Mingxuan. “To be honest, I’m not sure about his exact condition either. How about this, I’ll make a few calls and get back to you right away.”

Xiao Mingxuan knew the guy’s work wasn’t something he had access to, so he didn’t press. He stood up, ready to leave. Judging by that attitude, he wasn’t going to get anything more out of this. He smiled and nodded. “Thanks. Appreciate it.”

“No trouble at all.” Wang Yizhong walked him to the door with that same easy smile. But before they got there, the door clicked open from the other side. Someone rushed in and slammed straight into Wang Yizhong, knocking him back a step. The man grabbed him by the collar and spoke in a low, pained voice.

“Boss, I—”
He froze mid-sentence the moment he noticed there was someone else in the room.

Xiao Mingxuan stared at his back, stunned. “You…”

Song Feng happened to turn his head. “Hm?”

Xiao Mingxuan went rigid. “Second Young Master Song?”

He was princeling too, but this man had always kept a low profile. Rumor was, he’d spent most of his time abroad. A lot of the new rising stars in the capital probably wouldn’t even recognize him. But anyone who did wouldn’t dare ignore him. His background was too damn loud.

Song Feng paused, then smiled. “Isn’t this Young Master Xiao? What a coincidence.”

Xiao Mingxuan nodded stiffly.

“I’ve got something to discuss with Director Wang.” Song Feng smiled as he smoothed down the other man’s collar. “So I won’t keep you. Let’s grab a drink sometime when you’re free. Oh, you heading out? Don’t forget to close the door.”

Xiao Mingxuan left. Just before the door shut, he glanced back at that figure again, and a cold chill shot down his spine. The human ear remembers voices. You hear enough of someone, and you don’t need to see their face to know who it is.. That kind of recognition takes time and familiarity. But he’d been trained. He could remember someone by the changes in pitch and tone. He hadn’t been great at that course, but it had only been a few days since they’d last seen each other. He hadn’t completely forgotten that voice. The sound, the build, everything about Song Feng matched that man too well. And he just happened to be here at State Security…

Xiao Mingxuan sucked in a breath.
Did he… did he fucked the second young master of the Song family?

Song Feng had been trained too, even better than Xiao Mingxuan. But Xiao Mingxuan had only said four words, and he was wearing a different face. Song Feng hadn’t been paying attention to him at all and simply ignored it.

Wang Yizhong sat down behind his two-meter-wide curved desk. “Talk. Why the hell are you only showing up now? Where the fuck have you been these past few days?”

Song Feng’s expression changed instantly. “Boss, I’ve suffered severe psychological trauma…”

Wang Yizhong snapped. “Get off my desk. Sit down. Yeah, back in your chair. Did you write the report?”

Song Feng was in cargo pants with pockets all over. He fished around, pulled out a few crumpled sheets and handed them over. Wang Yizhong skimmed them quickly. He hadn’t expected this at all.

“You…”

“My body’s fine. Mentally, I’m still fucked up.” Song Feng dug through his pockets again. “Here. My hospital bill, what they spent taking care of me, and the price of my trauma. Go ahead, submit the claim.”

“I’m not the finance department.”

“I know. But you’re the department head. You should hold onto this. I’m afraid the finance people will throw me out.”

“…”

“Don’t be like that.” Song Feng shoved a stack of receipts across the table. “You always tell us to face reality with strength. You need to lead by example, boss.”

Wang Yizhong flipped through them. “You stayed in a suite?”

“I got that kind of injury and you wanted me to show my face in a shared ward?”

“You could’ve just stayed in a private room. Why the hell did you book a suite? And this. This is all the shit they spent on eating, drinking, and messing around the past few days. Why bring that to me? And what’s this? You’re seriously trying to get reimbursed for a condom?”

Wang Yizhong pressed a hand to his forehead. His whole team was insane. If he let them keep running wild, they’d shave ten years off his life. He gritted his teeth, flipped to the last page, and saw a long string of zeroes.

That did it. He tore the entire pile up on the spot.

“Psychological damage compensation? Why don’t you go fucking dream.”

Song Feng looked dead serious. “You have no idea how much I’ve been through. I’m a virgin, you know.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“I meant in the back.”

“…Give me a break,” Wang Yizhong muttered. “If you really cared about that, you wouldn’t have spelled it all out in your report.”

Song Feng gave him a wide-eyed look. “So what you’re saying is, if I don’t want something known, I just leave it out next time?”

“…”

When Wang Yizhong didn’t answer, Song Feng fished out another receipt. This one had one less zero than the last. Wang Yizhong’s eye twitched. He snatched it and ripped it too.

His stomach turned. Thank god. This little monster still didn’t know the drug dealer was Young Master Xiao in disguise. If he did, who knew what kind of shitstorm he’d stir up.

But Xiao Mingxuan had been right here just moments ago. Had he recognized Song Feng?

And if he had, what was he planning to do about it?