EM Chapter 5. Suspicion

Song Feng was camped out in Wang Yizhong’s office, patiently and sincerely discussing reimbursement issues. He kept pulling out receipts, each one with fewer zeroes than the last. Wang Yizhong didn’t even look at them anymore. He just ripped them up on sight.

“You really don’t have to do this,” Song Feng said as he laid another receipt on top of the growing pile of shredded paper. “Here, this one’s my bottom line. Everything after this is the same amount. Tearing it up won’t change a thing.”

“…”

“Let’s just leave it at that,” Song Feng said, and pat him on the shoulder. “You do your best to get all this approved. We were on assignment for State Security, after all. You’re footing the bill either way, so give me a bit more to make up for what I lost.”

Even though they worked for State Security, they operated under the identity of mercenaries. They took money in exchange for their lives. If they went back to the U.S. without any pay, it would raise suspicion. That’s why this money had to come from above.

Wang Yizhong had to admit, the guy really did get screwed. Second young master of the Song family, born rich, no worries about food or status, with a clear path ahead of him. And still, this was the life he chose. If he died out there, he might not even get a martyr’s plaque. But everyone who stepped into this game was the same. Background didn’t mean shit.

He brushed the hand off his shoulder. “Quit dreaming. The amount’s already been negotiated.”

“Even so, amounts can be adjusted,” Song Feng said, crawling up with a pitiful face. “Boss, you really gonna leave my poor wounded soul hanging like this?”

Wang Yizhong was getting a headache. “Get off me. Get off. Don’t touch that stack. Not that one either. Fine, I’ll do what I can. Happy?”

Song Feng lit up, flopped down across the desk, and gripped his hand tight. “Boss, I knew I could count on you.”

Wang Yizhong yanked his hand back in disgust. “Get out of here and go mess with the Americans instead, you little gremlin.”

Song Feng left grinning, even remembered to close the door behind him, clearly in a good mood. Wang Yizhong glanced at the remaining receipts and winced again. “Trauma, my ass.” He hadn’t seen Song Feng look the slightest bit rattled since that incident. He swept the papers aside, but caught a glimpse of the condom claim out of the corner of his eye. That shut him up.

Maybe Song Feng really didn’t give a shit about it.

It wasn’t impossible. The guy had no shame to begin with.

Wang Yizhong cleaned up his desk and called Xiao Mingxuan to let him know the guy was fine. Xiao Mingxuan only gave a cool “Mm” and didn’t ask anything else. A few polite lines, and the call ended quickly.

Wang Yizhong thought it over. He figured Xiao Mingxuan wouldn’t blow this thing open. Both families held weight in the political world, and if this blew up, it would be bad for everyone. Still… he hesitated a moment, then headed out to settle the money issue. Best to get it wired into Song Feng’s account by tomorrow. The longer it dragged, the more unpredictable it’d get.

That menace needed to be shipped out as soon as possible.

---

Xiao Mingxuan drove his SUV slowly toward an intersection. The light ahead turned red. He stopped and let out a quiet breath, thinking back to that phone call. Since the guy was fine, it was best to let the matter end here.

He drove his SUV slowly to an intersection and stopped at the red light. The call from earlier echoed in his mind. He let out a slow breath. Since the guy was fine now, that was the end of it.

He had lost control and fucked him. That part was done. He’d done what he could to make up for it.

But in the end, it turned out to be someone he actually knew. Worse still, the man had money, status, and power. And what did he have? Nothing but lying there and taking it. There was nothing he could offer that would make up for what happened. He wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t about to go looking for trouble.

Part of him still clung to a little wishful thinking. Maybe he’d guessed wrong. Maybe it was all just coincidence. But he wasn’t going to ask again. This was where it ended. Sealed off and buried with the rest of the shit he’d never get answers to.

That guy didn’t look reliable at all, but he had charged through gunfire with a submachine gun to pull him out. He’d gotten injured because of him. Now the injury was healed, and knowing him, he was probably living just fine.

That was enough.

The light turned green. Xiao Mingxuan merged into traffic, then turned off toward the Xiao family estate. He was heading back to the unit soon. Most likely, he’d never run into Song Feng again. Life would go back to how it was two years ago. That was how it should be.

---

Song Feng had spent the past few days lying in the hospital. No wild nights, no women, and the nurse didn’t pan out either. Now that he was discharged, it was time to have some real fun. Beijing had no shortage of entertainment, and for a princeling like him, the options were even better.

He took a few of his men out for a spin. That night, they drove to a club. For regular people, the lineup of luxury cars outside might’ve been enough to intimidate. But they were mercenaries. They’d guarded all kinds of big shots, from drug lords to businessmen. Fancy cars didn’t bother them.

“We came by a couple days ago,” one of them said, “but they wouldn’t let us in without a membership.”

Song Feng let out a quiet hmm, glancing between them with a look full of meaning.

Wei Xiaoyan immediately burst into laughter, while the other two scrambled to explain themselves.

“Boss, you’ve got it wrong. Totally wrong.”

“Oh?” Song Feng raised an eyebrow lazily. “Then go on. What exactly did I get wrong?”

“We didn’t leave you in the hospital because we were out having fun. It was because the nurse was hot. We knew we couldn’t beat you at picking up girls, and we didn’t want to stick around and get depressed. We also didn’t want to be third wheels. So we left. We were trying to give you a chance, seriously.”

“You two really have the nerve to bring her up again?”

“That was our original intention, Boss,” one of them said earnestly. “How were we supposed to know she’d misunderstand? But good thing we left. If the two of us had stayed behind to look after you too, what do you think she would’ve thought?”

Song Feng froze. Two words lit up in his brain, glowing like neon. Fucking gay.
He gave an involuntary shiver.

“Don’t make excuses. Girls like that? I’ve already had my fill. Xiaoyan, let’s go.”

Wei Xiaoyan obediently followed.

“Don’t be like that, Boss.”

The two of them rushed forward to block his path, throwing themselves around like clowns.

Song Feng kicked one of them away.

“Enough. You’re a disgrace.”

The two grinned behind him, clearly not taking it to heart.

“So what kind of place is this?”

“Nothing special. You’ve played with worse back in the States,” Song Feng said. “This just gives certain people the environment they want. That’s all.”

Wei Xiaoyan nodded. “Got it.”

This kind of place shut out most of society but attracted a select few. And the money those people spent was more than enough to make the owner rich.

While they were talking, they stepped into the club. A server greeted them respectfully.

The lobby manager spotted them from a distance and rushed over with a smile.

“Second Young Master, long time no see.”

“Been busy,” Song Feng said and smiled.

They took the elevator to the third floor and walked down a hallway lit up like a chandelier display, heading toward a private room.

Just then, one of the doors opened. A man was on the phone and glanced over instinctively as they passed and froze.

“Second Young Master Song?”

Song Feng stopped, then smiled.

“Yo. Young Master Han.”

He was still at the door when someone inside overheard the voice and leaned out.

“Young Master Han, who are you talking to— Second Young Master Song?”

Song Feng paused again. What a day. Everyone he ran into tonight was someone he used to mix with. Looked like he would not be leaving so easily after all. He turned to his men and said, “You guys go ahead. I’ll head in, say hi, have a drink.”

The three of them nodded and followed the manager away.

Song Feng exchanged a few pleasantries with the two men at the door, then stepped into the private room. Heads turned as he entered. Those who recognized him stood up right away to greet him. The newer faces who did not know him followed suit and asked quietly who he was. The ones who knew him well and were of similar standing grinned and joked.

“Back from overseas and didn’t even say a word. Done with foreign girls already?”

Song Feng gave a lazy smile. “Foreign girls don’t hold a candle to the ones we have back home.”

He poured himself a drink, planning to say hello, have a few toasts, and leave. But as he glanced around the room, his gaze shifted and his eyebrows lifted.

“Well, look who it is. Young Master Xiao. Fancy seeing you again so soon.”

There were not many in the room who could match Song Feng in standing. The man who had spoken earlier was one, and Xiao Mingxuan was the other.

Xiao Mingxuan watched him approach. For a split second, a single word flashed through his mind. Trouble. But he pushed the thought down and clinked glasses with a smile.

“Yeah. We meet again.”

Song Feng took a sip and chatted briefly with a few others before circling back and sitting beside him. Making small talk, he asked, “Heard you’ve been with the military this whole time. On leave now?”

“Yeah. Heading back in a few days. What about you?”

“Haven’t decided yet,” Song Feng said casually, eyes narrowing slightly.

He had been curious why this man showed up at State Security. Thought he might fish for some answers. But a few minutes into the conversation, something started to feel off. There was a strange sense of familiarity.

That should not be the case. His hand holding the glass froze for a moment.

No way. No way it was what he was thinking.

Xiao Mingxuan sat calmly, but inside he was anything but. The more he looked at Song Feng, the more he felt that something was off.

There were still plenty of people in the room. When they saw the two of them talking, and not about anything serious, they naturally gathered around. The topic soon shifted elsewhere.

After a while, Song Feng felt there was no point staying any longer. He got up to leave.

Everyone stood and walked him a few steps out. Song Feng opened the door with a smile. Before stepping out, he glanced back at Xiao Mingxuan one last time. Then he turned and walked away without looking back.

There was something about Xiao Mingxuan that reminded him a lot of that man. But maybe… he was just overthinking it.

Xiao Mingxuan watched him leave, replaying that final look in his mind.

Was Song Feng starting to suspect something?

But if he really had doubts, he would have stayed and talked more. Someone like Song Feng definitely took that course too…

He paused. No, that was not it. Back then, he had been drugged. His voice had dropped, hoarse and rough. Even after the drug wore off, the mood he was in had kept his voice low. It was still off from his usual tone.

The tone had shifted just slightly. But for people like them, that tiny difference was more than enough.

Thank god.

He let out a quiet breath. But then the thought returned, and he gave a bitter smile.

He still had no proof that Song Feng was the one. Maybe that look meant nothing at all. Maybe he was just imagining it.

He took a sip of wine. Hopefully, that really was the case.

---

Song Feng stepped out of the private room, still feeling unsettled.

He pulled out his phone, hesitated for a long time, then gave up. He did not call Wang Yizhong.

He had said it himself. Even if it had been someone else, he still would have done the same.

It was just a mission.

He tried to reassure himself with that thought.

He shuffled forward, still trying to calm himself, when his phone suddenly rang.

He checked the caller ID and picked up.
“Hey, boss. Yeah, it’s done.”
He paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. “An Asian? Alright, got it.”

He hung up and, with the help of a server, found his men.

The room was full of noise and laughter. He glanced at the new faces and smiled.

“Looks like you’ve been enjoying yourselves.”

One of his men came over, all smiles.
“Wouldn’t have happened without you, Boss.”

The women in the room were sharp. As soon as they saw who he was, they giggled and surrounded him.

Song Feng let out a sigh in his head. Such a waste.

He pulled out a thick wad of cash and handed it over.

“Sorry, ladies. We’ve got work. Rain check.”

His men heard that and immediately understood. They followed him out.

“What’s going on?”

“The boss wants us back in the States,” Song Feng said simply. “Some mafia heir is going home to take over and wants an Asian as his personal bodyguard.”

“An Asian?”

“Yeah. The man’s Asian himself. He’s going back to take over the family business. Sounds like it’s going to get ugly,” Song Feng said with a grin.

They packed quickly.

Before leaving, Song Feng gave Wang Yizhong a heads-up, but he did not bring up anything about Xiao Mingxuan.

He stood there for a moment, looking out at the Beijing night and decided to forget that incident.

---

At that exact moment, Xiao Mingxuan was also leaving the club.

Under the dazzling lights of the city, he drove home.

Two men. Two unsolved questions.

One headed back to the U.S.
One returned to the army.

Whether that incident would be buried by time, no one could say.