EM 39. Xiao Bai

Xiao Mingxuan coughed a few times and quickly pulled himself together.

To the others who had turned to look, he explained calmly. “It’s nothing. I just choked a little.”

He glanced across the room.

That person was calmly slicing fruit, legs crossed, the lighting casting a sultry glow across his skin. His face was fully made up, and his eyes looked completely different. With those long, curled locks, he was nearly unrecognizable. If not for the familiar mischievous smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, Xiao Mingxuan might not have realized who it was at all.

He had expected to wait a while longer. He hadn’t imagined this man would slip in so quickly, let alone in that getup.

The drug lord and the gang boss had only just taken their seats. The nightclub had staff moving constantly to deliver drinks and fruit platters, so servers were coming and going. It was chaotic, making it the perfect moment to act. That man would definitely be leaving soon. Getting the playing card before the two men were even in character would make the mission almost effortless.

According to the mission sheet, as long as the marker was retrieved and the recruit got out safely, the task was considered complete. Even if they ran into Team 1 afterward, it wouldn’t matter anymore.

And this was a nightclub. With his roguish personality, the moment he got out, he’d probably head off to enjoy himself.

Xiao Mingxuan narrowed his eyes slightly and curled a finger.

“You. Yeah, you. Don’t play dumb. Come pour me a drink.”

Song Feng sighed and scooted over obediently.

He poured a glass and lowered his voice.
“What the hell? I was just about to leave.”

Xiao Mingxuan wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him in close. “You got the card?”

“Already did.”

Xiao Mingxuan looked him over, surprised.
“Where’d you hide it?”

Song Feng grinned. “Guess.”

Xiao Mingxuan gave him another once-over. It had to be somewhere in his outfit.

He raised an eyebrow. “Stockings or bra?”

“Bra. I tucked it in while adjusting my dress earlier.”

Xiao Mingxuan stared at his chest. “How did you even get that cleavage?”

“I used three layers of pads.” Still smiling, Song Feng tugged at his neckline and leaned in, showing it off proudly.

“Look~”

Xiao Mingxuan silently pushed him back into place.

“You’re supposed to be a woman right now. Don’t get too excited.”

“Sit tight. You’ve already passed this round.”
He picked up an empty glass, poured a drink, and handed it to Song Feng.

“Stay and watch with me. Let’s see how the others manage to get in.”

Song Feng nodded.

His mind was still on his poor little disciple, so he didn’t sense anything wrong at first.
It wasn’t until he finished the drink that he felt something was missing. He turned to look at someone with wide, innocent eyes.

Xiao Mingxuan glanced at him. “What? Want me to call over another girl so you two can play lesbians?”

Surprisingly, Song Feng nodded, eyes full of hope. “…Can you?”

Xiao Mingxuan stared at him seriously. “Song Feng, do you even have a bottom line?”

“I don’t. Can you eat that?” Song Feng reached out and rested a paw on his shoulder, tilting his head up. “Do you know how to call a girl over?”

Xiao Mingxuan pulled him into his arms, smiling with amusement. “What do you think?”

Song Feng’s shoulders slumped. He went quiet at once, and glanced around

The scene this time was incredibly well-constructed. Everything those two were discussing matched the background provided in the materials. Their conversation was vague, never touching on anything explicitly illegal, so there was no risk even if the girls overheard.

Xiao Mingxuan lowered his head and studied that face up close. It was caked with makeup, completely hiding his original skin tone. He frowned and pinched Song Feng’s chin. Then he grabbed a tissue from the table and carefully wiped the lipstick from his lips.

Song Feng blinked in confusion. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t really like it.” Xiao Mingxuan slowly let go of him.

“This looks better.” Song Feng pressed his lips together, then stuck out his tongue to lick them.

“Yeah, definitely better. I kept feeling like my lips were coated in grease. Sticky and gross.”

Xiao Mingxuan’s gaze followed that exposed tip of his tongue.

He had the sudden urge to kiss him.

He quickly steadied himself and shifted his gaze away without a trace.

The hand at Song Feng’s waist tightened slightly, drawing him in closer. The grip wasn’t strong, so Song Feng didn’t notice.

He recalled something from the mission briefing. “The drug lord likes pole dancing. That’s scheduled for nine tonight, right?”

“Yeah. They’ll be watching from the second floor. There’ll be a few men standing beside them. The seats are open, not like this private room with only one exit. It’s a small chance for the others to succeed, just slightly easier.”

Xiao Mingxuan checked the time. “It’s not even eight thirty yet. Let’s wait.”

Song Feng nodded. “Xiaoyan’s always been really patient with things like this. He probably won’t act until after nine. Duan Qing should be fine too. As for Bai…”

He rubbed his chin. “That one’s hard to say.”

Xiao Mingxuan said, “We’ll find out soon enough.”

Song Feng gave a vague hum, then settled onto the sofa with a drink. He let his eyes drift lazily over the beautiful women nearby. Even if he couldn’t touch, enjoying the view was still worth something.

Xiao Mingxuan let him be. He wrapped an arm around him and occasionally glanced his way, feeling more at ease than he had all day.

Time slipped by quietly. Just as the minute hand was about to hit forty-five, a sudden commotion broke out outside.

The door to the private room was kicked open, and a man stormed in at the front, followed by five or six others. Behind them were the two men who had been guarding the door, along with a flustered floor manager.

The man had a cigarette dangling from his lips and turned to speak behind him.

“Manager Qin, we’re all familiar here. I’m working under Brother Chen. I wouldn’t come here to mess up his place. Don’t worry.”

He stepped forward a few paces. His face was a mess of bruises and discoloration. Looking over the people in the room, he couldn’t quite figure out who was who, so he tried to keep his temper in check.

“Sorry, brothers. If I’ve offended any of you, I’ll treat you to a proper apology another day. Right now I’ve got some personal business to deal with.”

His gaze shifted, and his tone suddenly turned vicious.

“You bitch. I turned this whole place upside down and finally found you. Get your ass out here!”

Song Feng blinked and quickly shrank into Xiao Mingxuan’s arms.

Xiao Mingxuan held him close. After nearly two years pretending to be a drug lord, a scene like this was nothing to him. He stayed perfectly calm.

“This one’s mine. If you’ve got something to say, say it to me.”

The man had some street smarts. Seeing Xiao Mingxuan’s presence, he was about to dial back his aggression, until the guy behind him suddenly stepped up.

“You better think twice before you act. You know who runs this place? Brother Chen. And you know who his right-hand man is? The man standing right in front of you. My boss.”

The one who spoke had slightly long hair streaked with burgundy highlights. A string of flashy earrings dangled from his left ear. He wore ripped jeans and a sleeveless vest, his arms and neckline covered in tattoos. He strutted forward with the full air of a street thug.

A faint scar stretched from the corner of his right eye down to the edge of his mouth, giving his otherwise clean features a wild, menacing edge.

Xiao Mingxuan glanced down at Song Feng.

The latter was gritting his teeth.

He had been wondering how that man managed to find this place. Turned out, he had run into someone with initiative.

That little lackey who stepped forward wasn’t a stranger.

It was Bai Xuyao.

Right after entering the room, Bai Xuyao had scanned the space quickly and located the marker.

Now he stepped up to the table, planted a foot on the coffee table, and stared at the fake drug lord and fake gang boss.

“This is my boss’s personal matter. You’d better stay out of it. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens next.”

He gave a few cold chuckles, then suddenly grabbed a bottle from the table and smashed it, sending a group of girls screaming.

Holding the jagged neck of the bottle, he flexed his tattooed arm with exaggerated bravado.

“Left arm Azure Dragon, right arm White Tiger, Vermilion Bird in front, Black Tortoise in back. I’ve been on the streets since I was sixteen. Everyone who’s ever crossed me is dead! Now that my boss has taken me under his wing, whoever makes him unhappy, I’ll make their entire family suffer!”

The two seated men remained completely calm.

Xiao Mingxuan turned to glance at Song Feng again.

This is your doing?

Song Feng twitched at the corner of his mouth. He really didn’t know what to do with this little disciple.

The minor gang leader had no idea he had wandered into someone else’s test. He actually found the display impressive and turned to Xiao Mingxuan approvingly.

“This is between me and her. I’d advise you not to stick your nose into everything.”

Xiao Mingxuan sat still, composed and unbothered. He didn’t even lift his eyelids.

“Throw them out.”

The two guards at the door stepped forward at once. As they moved, the hems of their suits lifted slightly, revealing the pistols holstered at their waists.

This time the simulation leaned fully into realism. Since they were portraying gang members and drug cartel enforcers, carrying weapons was expected. The guns were loaded with blanks.

The gang leader caught sight of the weapons and immediately turned pale.

He realized he had just messed with someone far more dangerous than expected.

He gave a stiff laugh.

“This… it’s a misunderstanding. We’re leaving. Right now.”

He turned to go. Xiao Mingxuan, guessing the man might try to contact the so-called Brother Chen, called out casually.

“Wait. If your Brother Chen asks, tell him the name is Xiao Cheng.”

The gang leader’s expression changed again. Ever since the anti-drug operation in Myanmar, the name “Xiao Cheng” had grown in reputation. He had definitely heard of it.

What he didn’t know was that this man’s identity had already been exposed in Malaysia. But very few people in the underworld actually knew the details, since Fu Shanming had never leaked anything. He simply wasn’t interested in Xiao Cheng’s background.

He was only interested in the man himself.

Xiao Mingxuan wasn’t aware of this either. In his mind, even if someone had leaked it, it wouldn’t matter. Xiao Cheng was a government man. No matter how powerful that Brother Chen was, there was no way he’d dare go up against the government. He wouldn’t come looking for trouble.

The gang leader gave a stiff laugh.

“So it’s Boss Xiao. Big misunderstanding. We’ll be leaving now.”

He gave a signal, and his men immediately retreated in a flurry.

Song Feng glanced at the playing cards. The ace of spades was still sitting on top, just like before, but it looked slightly out of place. Someone had likely touched it.

“Wait.”

He pointed at one of the men.

“I’m interested in him. Leave him here.”

Bai Xuyao looked at the gang leader. Seeing him nod, he shuffled over slowly.

Song Feng waited for the others to clear out, then raised a hand and lazily pointed to the open space beside him.

The man walked over and crouched down. He held the playing card up with both hands.

“Bro…”

The two men in the room finally realized that this guy was also a new recruit.

When had he grabbed the playing card?

Song Feng pinched his cheek.

“How did you two even run into each other?”

His voice dropped back to its natural tone. Low, with a hint of teasing.

The two of them froze in shock.
He was a recruit too? Were they supposed to take this seriously?

Still, they were professionals. They quickly pulled themselves together and turned to handle the floor manager, who had just come in to apologize.

“Bro, let go.”

Bai Xuyao looked pitiful, trying to save his own face.

“Duan Qing and I were out gathering intel when we ran into this guy. He was cursing up a storm about getting revenge on some woman. We went over and struck up a conversation, said we got screwed over by some girl too. Then we described her a bit, and it turned out we were talking about the same person. We also heard you’d been asking questions, so we figured we’d come this way. If you hadn’t left yet, perfect. If you had, we could ask them if they’d seen you and still stir up some chaos. Bro, stop pinching me…”

He finally wriggled free.

“I mean, I completed the task, didn’t I?”

“Not ideal.”

Song Feng gave him a quick lecture.

“If this had been real, you could’ve been shot right in the head. But since this is a public venue, the other party might have chosen to avoid a scene. That would’ve been your lucky break.”

“In situations like this, the quieter and less noticeable you are, the better. Now sit there and stay put. Watch how the others come in.”

“I want to sit, not squat…”

Song Feng couldn’t be bothered to answer.

Bai Xuyao watched him for a moment, then cautiously reached out and touched the edge of the sofa. Seeing no reaction, he quietly settled in, poured himself a drink, and took a sip.

The three of them sat in the corner of the sofa, silently watching the other side.

Song Feng raised an eyebrow as a cleaner entered the room.

The man had curly hair and wore black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He had the look of a student.

It was Duan Qing.

“See that?” Song Feng said quietly. “Came in quiet. Will leave quiet. That’s how it’s done. What the hell were you doing?”

Feeling guilty, Bai Xuyao shrank deeper into the couch. After a pause, he asked, “Where’s my senior brother?”

“He’ll be here in a bit.”

Song Feng gave him a sideways glance.

“If he sticks to his usual preferences, with your level of skill, you’d never be able to copy what he does even if you tried.”

Bai Xuyao was curious.

“What is it?”

“Just wait and see.”

Song Feng smiled.
“It’ll definitely be an eye-opener.”

The room was cleaned in no time. As the clock neared nine, the two targets got up according to plan to head for the pole dancing performance.

The guards at the door gave a signal. Immediately, four or five people emerged from the shadows and followed behind them respectfully. The whole procession looked rather grand.

Bai Xuyao had never seen a pole dance live before. He followed along excitedly.

Song Feng got up to follow too, but the moment he took a step, he hissed.

Xiao Mingxuan, standing beside him, turned his head. “What is it?”

Song Feng grabbed his arm. “My heel’s got a blister.”

Xiao Mingxuan slipped an arm around his waist.

“Take off the shoes.”

“And then what am I supposed to wear?”

Xiao Mingxuan paused. “Want me to carry you? On my back or in my arms?”

Song Feng glanced down at his own dress.
“I might flash someone. And then they’ll see I’m wearing men’s underwear underneath.”

“……”

Song Feng braced himself against him.

“Let’s go. I’ll just deal with it.”

The two of them lagged behind for a bit and ended up at the very back of the group.

The private room door slowly closed, leaving just the two of them behind.

In the dim lighting, Xiao Mingxuan tilted his head and looked at him.

“Song Feng, there’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now. I don’t think you’d mind.”

Song Feng limped along and asked casually.

“What?”

“This.”

As they reached the doorway, a sudden force spun him around.

His back hit the cold wall, and at that moment, he brushed against the light switch. The entire room instantly plunged into darkness.

His eyes closed instinctively.

The next second, something soft pressed against his lips.

A wave of warmth, laced with a faint trace of alcohol, swept into his mouth.

It was forceful, unapologetic, and completely invasive.

He froze.

It was… a deep kiss.