Chapter 11

As they walked out of Golden Pheonix Club at 3:30 a.m., the streets were far from quiet. Neon lights bathed the trees, their lush green leaves appearing as if coated with a layer of glass. 

Rickshaws passed by one after another, carrying people who had been out enjoying the night back to their homes. 

Street vendors were selling late-night snacks along the roadside. 

Ning Zhen, still young, had drunk three cups of coffee while playing cards, so although she felt fatigued, she wasn’t sleepy. 

“What do you want to eat?” Sheng Changyu asked. 

“Governor, why don’t we head home to eat? Most of the shops are closed now, and only a few vendors selling dumplings or wontons are left,” Ning Zhen suggested. 

Sheng Changyu glanced at her. 

He lit a cigarette, the thin mist rising as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “How many years did you spend abroad?” 

“Three years,” Ning Zhen replied honestly. 

“Three years, and you’ve developed a foreign appetite? Can’t handle dumplings and wontons?” 

Ning Zhen:  

She had spent the entire night playing cards, mentally exhausted, and now she had to endure his sarcastic remarks. 

It was a thankless effort. 

“Changyu, why do you have to speak so harshly? Ning Zhen is your wife, not your enemy,” Cheng Baisheng, who was standing nearby, remarked. 

Now that was a reasonable thing to say. 

But to be fair, Ning Zhen’s position as his wife wasn’t much different from that of an enemy. 

“Have a bite to eat. If you go home on an empty stomach, you won’t be able to sleep,” Cheng Baisheng said to Ning Zhen. 

Ning Zhen agreed. 

The three of them stopped in front of a street vendor, and in the distance, Sheng Changyu’s adjutant, Cheng Yang, arrived. 

Cheng Yang had something to report, and Sheng Changyu walked a few steps forward with him to talk. 

As they spoke, they walked farther and farther, and when Ning Zhen looked over, they were already near the end of the street. 

The vendor finished preparing two bowls of wontons, and Ning Zhen and Cheng Baisheng sat at a low table, both with their legs folded. 

“Ning Zhen, you play cards quite well,” Cheng Baisheng said. 

“I play to pass the time when I’m bored,” Ning Zhen replied. 

Their conversation was casual and intermittent. Just then, two roughly dressed men approached, loudly demanding that the vendor prepare them some wontons. 

They looked like trouble. 

The vendor, terrified, nodded repeatedly and bowed in fear. 

Ning Zhen glanced in their direction, just in time to lock eyes with one of the thugs. 

After a moment of surprise, the thug walked over and squeezed himself between Ning Zhen and Cheng Baisheng. “Miss, are you a singer?” 

Ning Zhen was wearing a short-sleeved cheongsam today, and her gun was in her handbag. 

But the handbag was in the car, and she had forgotten to bring it. 

“Brother, we’re eating. Could you please give us some space?” Cheng Baisheng said. 

The thug cast a disdainful look at him. 

Another thug squeezed over and said, “It’s your lucky day that Master Chen wants to talk to you. Don’t be ungrateful.” 

Ning Zhen:  

Cheng Baisheng was particularly well-dressed today, in a silk shirt that was both polished and elegant. With his porcelain-like skin, he looked every bit the pampered young master. 

He resembled a scholar’s son out for an evening with his girlfriend. 

The two thugs, while talking, started to make a move toward Ning Zhen. 

Ning Zhen stood up. 

“Miss, why don’t you come with us for a good time? We’ve got some good liquor.” 

“Yeah, miss, come with our Master Chen. We’ll treat you well. Who are you with?” 

Cheng Baisheng stood up as well. 

Ning Zhen was about to say something when she slightly leaned back. Someone behind her pulled her by the arm, wrapping her in an embrace, and she took two steps back. 

The firm chest and warm body heat seeped through his shirt. 

Falling into such an embrace, Ning Zhen felt slightly embarrassed. Sheng Changyu spoke, “Where do you want to take her?” 

Unlike Cheng Baisheng, even in fine clothing, Sheng Changyu exuded the intimidating aura of a military officer. 

The two thugs’ expressions faltered, unsure of how to handle him. 

Growing impatient, Sheng Changyu pressed, “Speak up, where do you plan to take my wife?” 

“Do you know who our boss is—” 

Before the thug could finish, Sheng Changyu released his hold on Ning Zhen, extended his long arm, and slapped the thug across the face. 

“You think you can act tough in front of me?” Sheng Changyu’s voice was low. 

The two men who had been hit looked around, saw no one else backing Sheng Changyu, and, unwilling to swallow the insult, surrounded him, ready to fight. 

Sheng Changyu moved quickly, effortlessly pushing them both back several steps. 

His expression grew darker. 

Cheng Baisheng, knowing Sheng Changyu well, sensed that he was getting dangerously close to killing them. He grabbed Sheng Changyu’s arm and said, “Changyu, let it go. They’re clearly Hongmen members. Someone else will deal with them later.” 

“Exactly, you’d better know your place. You dare mess with Hongmen?” one of the thugs raised his voice, trying to bolster his own courage. 

Sheng Changyu replied, “I feel like messing with them today. My hands are itching for a fight.” 

Cheng Baisheng:  

Sheng Changyu’s movements were swift and precise. In just a few seconds, he had both thugs on the ground. He kicked one of them in the head several times, so hard that the man’s eyes seemed about to pop out. 

The other thug, also badly beaten, tried to ambush Sheng Changyu while he was busy attacking. Ning Zhen instinctively shouted, “Behind you, on the left!” 

Sheng Changyu turned around, and somehow, a chopstick appeared in his hand. With a swift movement, he plunged it into the thug’s eye. 

Blood splattered, some landing on Ning Zhen’s hand, which she hurriedly wiped off. 

All the other customers at the street vendor’s stall ran off. 

Cheng Baisheng intervened again, “Changyu, don’t scare Ning Zhen.” 

Sheng Changyu snapped back to reality and let go of the thug. 

Unbuttoning the third button on his shirt, exposing his chest, he still looked furious. “What a nuisance. Let’s go home.” 

He waved his hand. 

A car pulled up from the street corner. 

Sheng Changyu opened the door and, without giving Ning Zhen a choice, shoved her into the car first. 

Ning Zhen protested, “Governor,” 

Before she could finish, Sheng Changyu climbed in as well, leaving Ning Zhen no choice but to scoot over to the side. 

Cheng Baisheng stayed behind to settle things, handing money to the vendor as compensation. Sheng Changyu’s adjutant had already started driving off. 

Ning Zhen moved as far to the side as possible, pressing herself against the car door, avoiding any eye contact with Sheng Changyu. 

She found Sheng Changyu to be violent and easily provoked. 

The car drove on for a while in silence. Ning Zhen sat quietly with her arms crossed, saying nothing. Then Sheng Changyu suddenly spoke, “Are you heading back to the old residence?” 

Ning Zhen replied, “I’m going to my family’s house. I already told my mother.” 

Sheng Changyu instructed the adjutant to drive to the Ning family’s residence. 

As the car turned a corner, Ning Zhen saw thick smoke rising from across the street. 

She stared hard at it. 

Sheng Changyu explained, “It’s just a fight between two gangs. They burned down a shop, but it’s no big deal. It’s already over. We’ll go straight through.” 

The adjutant acknowledged the order. 

Ning Zhen wanted to suggest taking a detour, but she was afraid that Sheng Changyu would mock her again. 

He had a sharp tongue. 

Despite Sheng Changyu’s assurance, the fight wasn’t quite over. Military police had been deployed, and they blocked the road. 

The car came to a halt. Upon recognizing Sheng Changyu’s adjutant, the police officer in charge quickly came over to salute. 

From a distance, Ning Zhen could see the fire, which had already burned through the shop’s windows. 

The windows fell off, crashing into the flames with a soft crack, sending thin smoke and fire swirling into the air. 

Ning Zhen’s ears buzzed. She instinctively wanted to rush toward the fire, feeling as though time had twisted back two years to the fire in the apartment. 

Wen Liangyu had died in that fire. 

Ning Zhen bit down hard on her lip, trying to distinguish reality from memory. She felt like someone drowning, desperately trying to grab onto something solid. 

Her hand touched the arm next to her. 

The arm was firm, and even through the shirt, the skin felt warm. In a moment of panic, Ning Zhen clung to it tightly. 

The military police outside, noticing this, were shocked and quickly averted their eyes. “Apologies, Governor. I’ll handle this immediately.” 

Sheng Changyu turned to look at Ning Zhen, who had thrown herself into his arms. 

Ning Zhen had buried her head against his chest, her face pressed close to his bare skin. 

Sheng Changyu: