Shen Yang and Chang Fang were watching Lihua the next day as usual.

  "Heh. The fat teenager looks more cheerful than yesterday," he sneered.

  Chang Fang nodded as he observed too. "You know, I checked on her drug supplies. There is some guy Z who is supplying her school. Considering when she had last bought the drugs, her stock should have been out by now. But she hasn't asked him for more."

  Shen Yang shrugged and yawned. "She will. How long would she be able to hold out for? Watching her like this everyday is getting so boring. Not like she is gonna achieve anything anyway."

  "Don't underestimate Madam. She has a very…weird and convincing way to do things. You have watched her yourself in those six months, right?"

  Shen Yang raised his brow. "That was nothing. Convincing family members wouldn't come close to this. Drug addicts are on a whole nother level. You know how crazy these people could get."

  "They are crazy not because of the drugs but because of the situation they are in. If somebody helps them through it, they wouldn't need drugs at all. Like Madam says, nobody really wants to live like this."

  "Hoo~~ you seem to understand her so much."

  Chang Fang smiled. "It's because I have gone through it. My life was a fucking mess before my…previous Boss took me in. Being the leader of the Shadow Eagle gang gave me purpose. I have been a drug addict myself, but it was after coming to the Underworld and working under Boss that I lost my addiction."

  He clenched his fists. "That's why it hurts even more when I saw Boss turn into a maniac like that. I am sane now because of him. Watching him go insane is just crushing. But even if I still respect him for getting me out of that mess, I…" tears pooled in his eyes, "I still won't forgive him for killing my gang members. Nothing would justify that!"

  They saw Jiang Hua coming towards them holding Ruru's hand much to his disappointment.

  "Shen Yang. Ruru needs to go to the toilet."

  "Lihua…" he wanted to go back.

  "Ruru. It's not good to hold it in. Your tummy will ache."

  Ruru pursed his lips.

  Chang Fang said, "I will take him."

  "No," Shen Yang coldly rejected him. "I will take young master."

  He didn't want to take any risk with leaving Chang Fang alone and him possibly trying to contact Wei. He still hadn't built his trust in him. As for talking to Lihua, she was busy with Xiao Jian. He won't get the chance.

  Shen Yang took Ruru with him to the nearest cafe. He waited outside the washroom and through the glass windows was watching Lihua and Chang Fang. From the corner of his eye, he detected a movement.

  As he quickly took a glance in that direction, he froze. He blinked his eyes to make sure if he was having hallucinations or not.

  Ruiling?

  He saw Jiang Ruiling running across the street. She was crying and was terrified. She was frequently looking back and when Shen Yang followed her gaze, he saw two men hurriedly following her in plain clothes. They weren't blatantly running behind her like goons.

  He was stunned.

  Why is she…?

  It seemed that he would lose her if he didn't go after her soon.

  Damn it, I cannot lose her!

  But young master…


  Just then, Ruru stepped out and tugged at Shen Yang. "Lihua. Lihua." He quickly wanted to go to Lihua's side.

  Shen Yang quickly picked him up and dashed out of the cafe. Ruru was clearly displeased with his manhandling him. He dropped him over to Chang Fang. "Take him to Madam. I will be back."

  "Ah? Where are you going-"

  But Shen Yang had already turned back and left.

  He frowned.

  Strange…


  —


  Shen Yang ran towards the street where he last saw Jiang Ruiling.

  She had taken a left from here…


  Then suddenly, he noticed the same men in plain clothes who were following Jiang Ruiling looking around too.

  He narrowed his eyes.

  It seemed as if they heard something from the other direction and one of them pointed his hand towards it. He mouthed.

  'Over there!'

  Shen Yang understood his words. He decided to follow them without their notice. He took a turn in their direction when somebody crashed into him.

  Shen Yang saw a woman, whose head was covered with a scarf. She had her head lowered and seemed fidgety. Instead of apologizing to him for crashing into him, she hurriedly bowed as an apology and turned her head away.

  He squinted his gaze. She was about to leave when he grabbed her wrist. "Wait. Ruiling…right?"

  She froze.

  I was right.

  There was a small birthmark above her left shoulder. It was at the same place where Jiang Ruiling had. Then she was being too suspicious and in a hurry.

  She took a deep breath as if she had trouble believing. "……Sh-Shen…Yang…?"

  She ever so slowly raised her head and her face became visible from the scarf.

  Shen Yang widened his eyes.

  "Ruiling…"

  He couldn't believe he finally found her.

  Jiang Ruiling stared at him in a daze. Her heart drummed in her chest as tears rimmed in her eyes.

  "Sh-Shen Yang…Shen Yang…"

  She burst into tears as she jumped into his hug.

  "It's you? I-It's really you…? Shen Yang…Thank God…aaaahhh…" she cried hard. "I finally met you…"

  The crowd around them gave them weird looks.

  Shen Yang quickly said, "This is not the right place to talk. Let's talk somewhere else."

  "No-no! Those men will find me! We cannot carelessly move…" she breathed with difficulty.

  "They won't find you. They have lost you anyway."

  He grabbed her hand and took her into a nearby residential alley. Jiang Ruiling carefully took out her scarf and revealed her face.

  "Shen Yang…" her cheeks were wet as she properly looked at him. She hugged him hard, letting out her anguish.

  Hm. She still doesn't know my real face. That means she hasn't met anybody from the Jiang family yet or this wouldn't have been her reaction.

  Heh. Lucky me that I found her first~

  He gave her a concerned look and patted her head. "Ruiling, j-just where were you all this time!? Do you know I have been searching for you like crazy? Where were you?"