EM Chapter 10. Integrity

The hospital room was a complete mess. Xiao Mingxuan froze for a moment, then turned and walked out. He genuinely felt he had been exposed for nothing this time. He was currently on assignment, and even if there was no rush to approach Fu Shanming, it was clear these people came from prominent families. There was no reason for him to get involved or stir up trouble. It was best to leave as soon as possible.

As for that man… since he was fine, he could do whatever he wanted.

The driver had already arrived and was waiting downstairs. Xiao Mingxuan got in the car. Sitting in the back were two men. One was the commander of the special forces unit, and the other was Yu Bai, an agent from Guoan. Neither of them said a word when they saw him.

Xiao Mingxuan knew he had acted on impulse. He was the lead operative for this mission, and every move he made could affect the entire team’s safety. He was supposed to be cautious and composed. He understood that. But in that moment, there had been no time to think. He had felt that if it happened again, he would still rush out without hesitation.

“That was a friend of mine,” he explained. “He’s fine now. Let’s go.”

“Hold on a moment,” Yu Bai said as he tapped away at his laptop. Soon, he spoke again. “Got something. Looks like this accident gave us a lucky break.” He turned the screen toward Xiao Mingxuan. “That guy’s the Shao family’s heir. He’s getting engaged in three days to a daughter of the Liu family. Both families have real standing. Do you think there’s a chance Fu Shanming will show up?”

Xiao Mingxuan skimmed through the file quickly. “You’re saying we should build a connection with them?”

Yu Bai nodded. “If Fu Shanming’s already in contact with that man, anyone reaching out to him now would only raise his guard. So why not come at it from another angle? Let’s say you came to Malaysia for your friend’s engagement party. You meet Fu Shanming there by chance, then take the opportunity to bring up the drug business. It’s a natural segue and lowers the risk of suspicion. On top of that, if Fu Shanming decides to move against you later, your connection to those two families might make him think twice. What do you think?”

Xiao Mingxuan thought it over. This did seem more reliable than going straight to that lunatic. But still…

Yu Bai saw him hesitating and spoke again. “Your friend seems to have a close relationship with the Shao heir. Getting an invitation shouldn’t be difficult.”

That part was true. Xiao Mingxuan glanced at him. The intelligence system within Guoan was complex, and it was entirely possible Yu Bai didn’t know that Song Feng was one of their own. He’d need to check with Wang Yizhong first. If they accidentally disrupted Song Feng’s mission, it would be a serious problem.

“I’ll make a call.” He got out of the car and found a quiet spot to dial. After briefly explaining the situation, he asked, “What do you think? Can we do this?”

Hearing Xiao Mingxuan’s calm tone, Wang Yizhong could tell he hadn’t taken the earlier lie to heart. He thought for a moment and said, “It’s workable. Talk to him and say it came from me.”

Xiao Mingxuan responded, then added cautiously, “It won’t interfere with his assignment, right?”

“Probably not,” Wang Yizhong said, hesitating slightly before continuing. “I don’t think getting an invitation will be an issue for him. As for the rest… he’s acting as the Shao family heir’s bodyguard. As long as you don’t disrupt his actual work, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Xiao Mingxuan ended the call and got back in the car. “Let’s go with it.”

“Then go see him,” Yu Bai said. “We’ll wait here.”

“We’ll wait until someone from the Shao family comes down,” Xiao Mingxuan replied. All they needed was an invitation. There was no need to get entangled in someone else’s family drama. Once Yu Bai heard that, he understood immediately and nodded in agreement.

Xiao Mingxuan didn’t have to wait long. Soon, the group upstairs left. He stopped to buy a fruit basket from a stand downstairs and carried it up with him.

“Oh, it’s you,” Shao Xiujie said as he opened the door to let him in. This man carried himself with an air that clearly marked him as no ordinary person. Though he hadn’t spoken earlier, his presence had already drawn suspicion from the Shao family members. Still, if it helped distract them, Shao Xiujie had no complaints.

He extended a hand. “Shao Xiujie.”

Xiao Mingxuan returned the handshake with a smile. “Xiao Cheng—”

Shao Xiujie paused for a moment. “So you’re Boss Xiao. An honor.”

The recent multinational anti-drug operation had stirred up a storm. Most of the major generals and well-known Southeast Asian traffickers had been taken down. Only two had escaped. Fu Shanming, and Xiao Cheng.

Xiao Mingxuan exchanged a few polite words with him and stepped into the room. Song Feng, overwhelmed by all the commotion earlier, had simply rolled his eyes back and played dead. He still hadn’t “regained consciousness.”

“Get up,” Shao Xiujie ordered. “It’s your friend.”

Song Feng sighed and looked from Xiao Mingxuan to Shao Xiujie.

Shao Xiujie understood he wanted to speak to the man alone. In any case, there were still two dead bodies at the café he needed to deal with, and a family blow-up with the old master waiting at home. “You two talk. I’ve got things to handle.”

Song Feng watched him leave, then got out of bed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone move to help him, and quickly avoided it.

“No need. I’m fine.”

Xiao Mingxuan suddenly remembered that back in Myanmar, this man had also refused help. He let out a breath. “Don’t be so stubborn. There’s no color in your face. Can you even walk?”

“I overdid it with the primer.”

“…,” Xiao Mingxuan realized he hadn’t just been played, his feelings had been toyed with too.

Song Feng glanced at the fruit basket, picked up an apple, and headed into the bathroom to rinse it and wash his face.

“I thought you wouldn’t come back,” he said. “Do you need something from me?”

Xiao Mingxuan’s tone was perfectly normal, but this man was still acting so casual. It was clear Song Feng had probably guessed his identity, but simply chose not to say it out loud. Xiao Mingxuan leaned against the bathroom door.

“What’s your relationship with that heir?”

“Nothing special. He paid to hire me as a bodyguard. Once he’s taken over, my job’s done and I walk away with the money.”

Xiao Mingxuan was surprised. “What exactly do you do?”

“Ever heard of PMC?”

Private Military Contractor. Companies that provide military expertise and combat services. Sometimes called, or classified as, mercenaries.

Xiao Mingxuan froze. “You’re really a mercenary?”

Song Feng wiped his face. “Yeah. The higher-ups only contact me under very specific circumstances. Most of the time, I work as a merc.”

Xiao Mingxuan finally understood the uncertainty in Wang Yizhong’s voice earlier.

Song Feng strolled back over and sat on the bed, taking a bite of his apple.

“Anyway, back to business. What do you want from me?”

“Will the Shao family be inviting Fu Shanming to the engagement banquet in three days?”

“Oh—” Song Feng dragged out the syllable. “So all this is about your little lover. And here I thought it was something serious. Why are you even asking? If you’re a man, go straight to his door. If he won’t give you what you want, just pin him down and fuck it out of him.”

“…”

Song Feng blinked innocently. “Did I say anything wrong?”

“…Since you brought it up, something just came to mind,” Xiao Mingxuan said, looking at him. “Let’s talk about a report.”

“What report?”

Xiao Mingxuan recalled, “The one about ‘the Organization, and how I, a pure, optimistic, kindhearted young man full of sunshine and drive, was ruthlessly ravaged by a mindless beast.’”

The apple fell from Song Feng’s hand and landed with a thud on the carpet. He shrank back.

“He showed you my report?! How could he?!”

“To confirm something.”

“What exactly?!”

“My relationship with Fu Shanming.”

“I thought you two were lovers?”

Xiao Mingxuan smiled slowly. “Thanks to you, Second Young Master Song, I got assigned to this mission.”

“…,” Song Feng flinched at his smile and kept backing away. “Explain.”

Xiao Mingxuan was finally pleased that the conversation had gotten back on track. “There was an intelligence agent who turned traitor and fled here. He’s very likely gotten in touch with Fu Shanming. Besides drug trafficking, Fu Shanming is involved in other activities and has a reliable intel network. That defector might use him to sell information elsewhere, or they may have already struck some kind of deal. The order from above is to locate and kill the defector. If possible, eliminate Fu Shanming too.”

Song Feng frowned. “Fu Shanming has serious power here. You think you can kill him and still make it out alive?”

“I said if possible.”

Song Feng nodded and changed the subject. “The Shao and Liu families both carry real weight. The old man wants this engagement party to be a grand affair. He’s already invited Fu Shanming, and odds are he’ll show up. So you came to me just to get an invitation?”

“Mhm.”

“That’s easy. If you cozy up to my boss, he’ll give you one. If that doesn’t work, I’ll help you get it.”

Xiao Mingxuan nodded.

Song Feng blinked. “Anything else?”

Xiao Mingxuan hesitated for a second, but after thinking it over, realized there wasn’t anything more to say. He shook his head.

“What a coincidence. I’ve got nothing else either.”

The two locked eyes. Xiao Mingxuan stood. “I’ll be going then.”

Song Feng hopped off the bed to walk him out, his tone cheerful and polite. “Leaving already? Stay a little longer.”

“…,” Xiao Mingxuan turned to look at him.

“Fine, fine, I know you’re busy,” Song Feng said quickly. “I won’t keep you.”

Xiao Mingxuan couldn’t help but laugh, then sighed quietly. They were adults. Time would eventually dull the edges of what happened, and the next time they saw each other, it probably wouldn’t even feel awkward. But right now, it hadn’t been that long since it all happened. He’d never imagined they’d get tangled up again so soon. At least for now, Song Feng was someone he couldn’t ignore.

Song Feng noticed the look in his eyes and tugged the corner of his mouth. “If you’re planning to return that condom, I’ll take it. If it’s anything else, save it.”

“…,” Xiao Mingxuan was surprised he could keep up with the conversation. “What brand? I’ll buy you a box.”

“I forgot,” Song Feng said, confused. “I usually buy a bunch of different brands, dump them all in a drawer, and just grab one at random when I need it.”

“…”

“Just pick one.”

Xiao Mingxuan gave him a look and walked out.

Three days later would be the engagement party. From that day on, Xiao Mingxuan came by to visit Song Feng every day. Over time, he also grew more familiar with Shao Xiujie, and through their conversations, Shao Xiujie came to a certain realization. Xiao Cheng and Fu Shanming had once been a couple. Then a third party came between them. Fu Shanming was heartbroken and left. Xiao Cheng wanted to win him back but didn’t dare show up in person.

“Boss Xiao, would you do me the honor of attending my engagement banquet?”

Xiao Mingxuan smiled. “Of course.”

The two of them were strolling in the hospital garden. Song Feng had refused to stay cooped up in the ward. Xiao Mingxuan glanced into the distance, where Song Feng was chatting with a young nurse, his pretty eyes full of flirtatious charm.

Shao Xiujie noticed Xiao Mingxuan watching Song Feng again and couldn’t help his curiosity. “Pardon the intrusion, but… what exactly is your relationship with Xiaofeng?”

Xiao Mingxuan sighed. “It’s a bit embarrassing to say. He was once my side piece.”

Shao Xiujie took a second to process that. “So he’s into men too. I could have my male cousin give him a shoulder massage, probably better than my female cousin’s hands.”

Xiao Mingxuan stiffened as the image of a certain tear-streaked face flashed through his mind. “How many female cousins do you have?”

“One.”

That kind of woman… and Song Feng actually wanted her? Xiao Mingxuan fell silent. The two men exchanged a look, then both turned away.

Meanwhile, Song Feng was still flirting with the nurse. She had to take care of a child, and in an effort to please her, he eagerly picked the child up and gave the kid a big smile and a kiss on the cheek. But just then, he sensed two intense gazes trained on him and turned his head.

The two men were staring at him in unison, their expressions plainly spelling out. Swings both ways. Loves them all. Zero integrity. Bottomless shamelessness.

“…”

Song Feng gingerly put the child back down.