(Since there were 5 chapters updated yesterday and I didn't stay up all night writing, I only woke up after 10 in the morning today, so there was no update in the morning. I'm updating now, sorry! We're in the top 6 for urban weekly recommendations, brothers, after you finish reading, please help and leave a vote of recommendation. With such a good recommendation, let's make those free votes count. Thank you.)

Yurong didn't quite understand her feelings. On the days when Li Yan wasn't home, she felt uneasy, going so far as to urge him to return, putting aside her pride. But now that he's back, she finds that there's little to talk about with him, nor does she necessarily need to see him.

Thinking about it carefully, perhaps she's genuinely worried he'll be ensnared by those two girls from Beihai, or maybe it's just a psychological habit that as long as he's home, he doesn't feel so far away.

So, after dinner, she contentedly returned to the office to work. In recent days, she's heeded Li Yan's advice to delegate work as much as possible, reducing her workload, and has hardly pulled any all-nighters. However, on weekends, it's hard for her to completely stop working; it's a lifestyle she's long accustomed to.

This left Li Yan and Yue Yao alone, sitting separately on the sofa watching TV, exchanging low voices about work-related matters.

"The news has already spread; all of 'their' members know about your return. I've started working on the internal reorganization; as you expected, the dealings at the Prince Hotel have already generated a lot of rumors, saying you took down over a dozen by yourself. The affair in G City before was a smokescreen, followed by 526 which seems to have uncovered something, but it's not disclosed. I suspect it's a decision made after consulting with Guan Ziyi," Yue Yao recounted everything that happened after he went to G City.

"I spoke with Guan Ziyi on the phone, and he said..." After receiving this feedback, Li Yan shared what Guan Ziyi had just told him with Yue Yao.

Yue Yao frowned slightly, "So it seems the Clover Organization is preparing to declare war on us. I'll immediately start gathering information on this matter."

Yue Yao, known as Queen, hadn't participated in first-line tasks for a long time. Her duties entailed assisting King in managing the internal of the organization, as well as external communication, transactions, collecting payments, gathering intelligence, etc. The "526 1941" arranged by Guan Ziyi could assist her in technical matters, such as computer intrusion, seeking information abroad. However, for various public intelligence circulation networks within the industry and underworld, Queen was very knowledgeable and kept up to date.

"It's against us, not 'them'."

Yue Yao understood Li Yan's meaning. "Them" was the external code name for their assassin organization. Given the dialogue between the two leaders, "we" could indeed represent the entire "them," but Li Yan's current emphasis undoubtedly revealed his intent to resolve matters personally, rather than dragging the entire organization into it. So, this "we" included him, Yue Yao, and the information support from Guan Ziyi, with perhaps a few other individuals to be called in for help.

"You and I are enough." Yue Yao had full confidence and trust in Li Yan.

"Gather 'them.' I want to make an appearance and meet them." Li Yan issued another directive.

Yue Yao quickly nodded in agreement. Although the news had already reached their people, a few just defected or were purged, and a reorganization had begun. Inevitably, there was a bit of panic. As a spiritual leader, King must come out to stabilize the morale, aligning with Queen's reorganization.

"The previous task assigned to Feng Wuqing used another code name, and it already failed in your hands. Following your instructions, he has been reintegrated into 'them'. "

Li Yan nodded, "Defection was merely our assessment of their actions. Through contact, I've gleaned their reasons. Feng Wuqing is still trustworthy; he's relatively capable and will be a key player along with Shi Jian'en."

Yue Yao, visibly concerned, hesitated a few times before speaking, "Are you really going to appear in person? Why not meet through a video on the internet? The Clover Organization bought off Liu Yunqing, Peng Duandao, Chen Xingye, and Wan Liming, and they could buy others as well. They may not threaten you, but perhaps…"

Li Yan understood her point; there could still be a mole who would leak his whereabouts. As an assassin, remaining mysterious and keeping a low profile in the shadows is a critical safety strategy. That's why the elite group within the organization had seen Li Yan's face but never Queen's. Although Queen had practically led the organization these past two years, her influence was not inferior to the long-absent King. Yet, Yue Yao kept her identity hidden deeply, with only a few knowing her true appearance and whereabouts.

Of course, Old Guan was different; Guan Ziyi was one of the few people Li Yan could trust unconditionally.

"No, the internet can transmit information, but some feelings must be conveyed in person! As for the danger, it doesn't matter. As the Yangtze River flows, the back waves push the front waves; having a chance to experience the front waves 'Jesus,' back waves 'Tears' is quite an experience too."

Seeing Li Yan speak with ease, Yue Yao nodded slightly. As long as he had the confidence and fighting spirit, she would have more faith in him. Of course, as his Queen who assisted him all the way, she would clear all obstacles and hidden threats for him whenever possible.

...

After the meeting, Yue Yao was busy again. Much of her work was done through computers and the internet, so she locked herself in the guest room and turned on her computer that she'd brought.

Li Yan, having nothing else to do, rested for a while and then spent the entire afternoon in the gym. He always valued physical training to ensure his fitness didn't decline.

In the evening, he washed off a sweat and came out of the bathroom. He still got used to coming out directly, but Zhang Yurong and Yue Yao naturally wouldn't appear here anymore.

While getting dressed, he picked up his phone. He had heard it ring for a while when he was in the bathroom, but it hung up soon after.

To his surprise, it was a call from Huang Ying, a clerk in the business department.

The young girl had been in a tense state before, working diligently, afraid of making even the slightest mistake for fear of losing her job at a critical moment; she'd go to the hospital to accompany her mother after work and used her weekends not as days off but to collect recyclables in a slightly self-torturous way since she couldn't afford her mother's expensive medical bills. It was only with Li Yan's help and the appearance of the Mortal Fund that she found hope. When the fund's He Zhengyuan efficiently helped her with the paperwork for hospital admission and transferred her mother out, she finally eased off the pressure.

Since Li Yan became Wen Qianyi's assistant, working in her office, he had fewer opportunities to chat with Li Yan in the large outside office area. Generally, they only greeted each other during clock-in, clock-out, or in the break room if they met.

Li Yan understood Huang Ying's character after months of interaction, especially regarding her mother's illness. If there wasn't something serious, she definitely wouldn't call him. Given that she did, she probably needed his help, and it likely wasn't a trivial matter. The call hadn't lasted long, which suggested that she was still a bit embarrassed.

Li Yan was sure that if he didn't call back, Huang Ying wouldn't call again. Even if they met, she would probably say it was nothing or that she dialed the wrong number. Her limited age, personality, and family background restrained her network, making any issue challenging for her to resolve on her own, whereas, for him, it might just be a small effort.

Understanding her hesitation, he dialed back right away.

"Li Yan, oh, it's nothing, I heard from Miss Wen that you were on leave... Are you in any trouble?" Huang Ying asked after answering, her tone sounding slightly anxious, but it became smoother as she spoke, showing genuine concern.

Just for this? Li Yan didn't doubt her sincerity in asking, but he still believed there was another reason prompting her call.

"No trouble, I actually had work elsewhere. The leave is over, and I'll be back to work as usual next week."

"Oh, that's good... I thought... I heard Director Ye was going to transfer you to the security team, and I thought you didn't want to go, so they gave you some time off." Huang Ying seemed a bit more relieved upon hearing his words.

Li Yan chuckled, it seems the young girl cared quite a bit about his matters! Being transferred to the security team was barely worth mentioning and only lasted a day, yet she knew. Moreover, Wen Qianyi and she weren't close, so it wasn't something Wen would tell her proactively—it seems she must have noticed his absence and asked around on her own. Quite bold considering her shy nature!

"It has nothing to do with the security team; I'll remain in the business department, just working part-time as Deputy Captain of Security. Haha, if anyone dares to bully you, just let me know, I'll have a security team ready to knock them out for you!"

At this, Huang Ying laughed too, "Who has time to bully me? But thank you anyway."

"Do you have something else you wanted from me?" Li Yan asked directly, suspecting she wouldn't mention it if he didn't ask.

"Ah? No, you must have other things to do, I'll hang up now..." Huang Ying quickly said.

"Wait!" Li Yan called out and then softened his tone a bit, "Huang Ying, I promised Auntie I'd look after you more last time. But I've been too busy, don't have much time. Tell me what's going on! I can tell you have something on your mind, even without seeing your expression."

Hearing him claim to be busy made Huang Ying smile slightly, feeling a bit complicated when he mentioned her mom and his offer of care, realizing he knew she had something on her mind. Of all the people she knew, he was the only one who showed such concern for her mood and situation...

"Would you be able to come out now? I want to buy you dinner." Huang Ying said softly, quickly adding, "You've helped me so much, just saying thank you isn't enough. It's paycheck week, it's only right I buy you dinner."

Even though Li Yan wasn't exactly sure what problem she was currently facing, he could sense from her tone that she was struggling to bring it up over the phone and preferred to discuss it in person. But if she couldn't gather the courage to speak up on the phone, she'd probably find it hard to voice it in person.

Uncertain about the seriousness of the situation, and unable to just let it go given Huang Ying's delicate personality, he decided to meet her and let her explain.

"Alright! But my standards are high; at least it must be a well-known international restaurant!" Li Yan teased deliberately.

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