Acting cool feels great in the moment, but the aftermath is something only you truly understand.
Su Mo’s vision was swallowed by darkness. When he woke again, he was already in a hotel room.
Ugh… His head was throbbing, like it was about to split open.
The moment he opened his eyes, he felt someone hugging him tightly. It could only be Ye Qingyi.
“You’re finally awake!” Her eyes were red, her voice choked with tears.
Su Mo gasped for breath, struggling to force out a sentence: “I… can’t… breathe…”
“Huh?” Ye Qingyi quickly let go, her cheeks flushed, her hands fidgeting awkwardly. “Sorry, I was just so happy.”
Her pouty, guilty expression was unbearably cute—Su Mo’s heart melted instantly. “You’ve had a rough time taking care of me.”
“It’s nothing. I should be doing this.”
“But it’s still hard on you.”
“Really, it’s not…”
“Hey, hey, hey! Are we just invisible here? Are you two seriously flirting right in front of us? Do we not count as people?” Xia Qingqing, who had been watching from the side, finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Hmph! Huo Jingshu and I both took care of you too, you know. Not even a word of thanks? Ugh, I guess once you get a boyfriend, you forget all about your besties. Waaah…”
Su Mo glanced at Xia Qingqing. The girl was as goofy as ever, seemingly unchanged—as if the Soul Immortal’s words hadn’t affected her at all.
Ahem. “Of course, I’ll thank you. I’ll treat you guys to hot pot sometime.”
“Oho, that’s more like it!” Xia Qingqing beamed.
Huo Jingshu smiled but said nothing.
That’s right—she smiled a lot now, especially when she was with Xia Qingqing. It was like she’d become a completely different person.
“By the way, why are you here?”
“Obviously to see you! Sister Zhang was here too, but she just stepped out.”
Su Mo knew Xia Qingqing was referring to Zhang Yuelu. She had been stationed in Xingcheng for a mission.
Given the recent chaos in Xingcheng, she was probably implicated. Her arrival here was likely related to that.
But honestly, who could’ve predicted this? The city’s commander had defected, taking almost all his subordinates with him. If Su Mo hadn’t lived through it himself, he still wouldn’t understand how it had happened.
“Um… Qingqing, maybe we should head back. Qingyi just woke up—he still needs rest,” Huo Jingshu suddenly suggested.
Xia Qingqing caught on immediately, nodding seriously. “Right, Qingyi needs to recover. We shouldn’t disturb them. Let’s go!”
With that, the two left the room, leaving only Su Mo and Ye Qingyi behind.
They looked at each other—then suddenly burst out laughing at the same time.
“What are you laughing at?”
“You’re laughing too.”
“Am I?”
“Hmph, you totally are, and you won’t even admit it.” Ye Qingyi pouted.
Su Mo straightened his expression. “Alright, no more jokes. Tell me what happened after I passed out.”
Ye Qingyi gave an obedient “Oh” and began explaining in detail.
(10,000 words omitted here.)
“So, the Hundred Immortals Sect and the remaining Northern Dipper traitors all fled to the U.S.?” Su Mo wasn’t entirely surprised—it made sense.
“Right. All their previous actions were just groundwork for this. Like on New Year’s Eve in Jiangcheng—they not only screwed over the Northern Dipper but also took out a bunch of investors who knew the sect’s secrets.”
“Which means attacking the Ye family was just a diversion—a feint.”
Ye Qingyi nodded. “After delivering that letter to the Ye family, they purged a lot of their own people. Ye Zhongwen executed many loyal members by mistake, leaving the whole family in turmoil.”
Su Mo thought for a moment. He suspected Ye Zhongwen wasn’t actually fooled by the letter—he’d just used it as an excuse to consolidate power, eliminating dissenters under the guise of rooting out Hundred Immortals spies.
The head of the Ye family wasn’t so easily deceived.
“Oh, and capturing you was apparently part of their plan too.”
“That’s not hard to believe. Yaxian was already thinking that way from the start. His disciple, Meixian, just carried on his legacy—only she’s even more ruthless.”
“Definitely. Word is, Meixian’s charm techniques played a big role in turning so many Northern Dipper members traitor at once.”
Su Mo took a deep breath, engraving the name “Meixian” in his mind.
She was a dangerous opponent—one he’d have to be extra cautious about in the future.
“What about the Green Rain Society? Any moves from them after I was injured?”
“I was just getting to that.” Ye Qingyi poured herself a glass of water and downed it. “Tang Hu and his thirty-plus men have officially joined the Green Rain Society. Under Wang Er’s arrangement, they answer only to you—and none of the other executives objected, not even Liao Yu.”
“Wang Er told you this?”
“Yep.”
Su Mo had made it clear to Wang Er that Ye Qingyi was his most trusted person—anything could be shared with her.
The two discussed more serious matters until Ye Qingyi’s cheeks ached from talking.
“Did Commander Yang assign any new missions?”
“No. He said we’d accomplished something huge this time—bigger than anything before, especially you—so he’s giving us time off. Said we could go home for New Year’s.”
At the mention of “home,” Ye Qingyi’s nose tingled. She suddenly realized none of her own family was left.
Su Mo had been unconscious for seven full days. Today was already the 26th day of the lunar twelfth month—just a few days from New Year’s.
Sensing her shift in mood, Su Mo ignored his own weakness and grabbed her hand. “You’re spending New Year’s at my place this year. You haven’t met my dad yet.”
“Mm.” She nodded obediently.
In truth, she’d already gotten over a dozen calls from Su Mo’s parents in the past two days, all urging him to come home for the holidays. But far from being annoyed, she envied it—each time patiently explaining the situation.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Ye Qingyi opened it to find Yang Jie and Zhang Yuelu.
“Commander Yang, Auntie Zhang, you’re here.”
“How’s Qingyi doing?”
“He’s awake and doing fine.”
Zhang Yuelu looked at the handsome, gentle young man who clearly knew how to take care of his girlfriend. “A boy who looks after his girl is the most attractive. Qingyi’s lucky to have you.”
Ye Qingyi smiled awkwardly and ushered them in, pouring each a glass of water.
“Commander Yang, Shimu.” Su Mo got up, his complexion much healthier now, though he still felt weak.
Zhang Yuelu checked him over and nodded in relief. “You’re recovering well.”
To her, Su Mo was like her own daughter—the affection in her eyes was unmistakable.
“Shimu, are you… okay?” Su Mo was asking if she’d faced any fallout from the incident.
Zhang Yuelu smiled faintly. “The innocent have nothing to fear.”
Her words implied she had been affected—just unshaken.
As she said, the innocent need not fear.
“The Elder Council is holding a review for her. She leaves soon, but she wanted to see you first,” Yang Jie explained.
Su Mo’s heart twisted with mixed emotions.
Zhang Yuelu patted his cheek. “It’s nothing serious. A few days at most—I’ll probably be back after New Year’s.”
“Mm.”
“Tsk, tsk. Such a tempting little face. Bet it’d be nice to kiss, huh?” Zhang Yuelu shot a teasing glance at Ye Qingyi, whose neck turned red instantly.
Su Mo panicked and blurted out, “We haven’t even—”
“Wait, you’ve been together this long and haven’t even kissed her cheek?” Zhang Yuelu looked genuinely shocked. “Back when Old Yang first got with me, he stole my first kiss right away!”
Yang Jie had been grinning like an amused bystander—until the second half of that sentence suddenly dragged him into it. Caught off guard, he choked on his water, sending it straight up his nose…
Yang Jie: (〃ﾟдﾟ〃)