“…” Hedgehog spat out a duck bone, “If you keep this up, you’re gonna get beaten up, I’m telling you.”
Si Di didn’t feel like dealing with him, his mood was sour. He leaned over to peel an orange for Xiao Zhenyun. A faint and gentle whiff of guide elements silently spread through the air. Xiao Zhenyun lowered his gaze, silently but firmly soothing his turbulent emotions.
Hedgehog smelled it too, but since his compatibility with Xiao Zhenyun was too low and the guide’s spiritual power was weak, the elements had no effect on him.
“No need to comfort me, save your energy and rest more.” Si Di handed the peeled orange pieces to Xiao Zhenyun, “My spiritual domain is very stable, I can handle a bit of emotional turmoil on my own.”
Xiao Zhenyun swallowed the sweet and sour juice of the orange, “In times like this, just a ‘thank you’ would suffice.”
“…” After a brief pause, Si Di couldn’t help but smile a little. He leaned in and left a kiss on the guide’s lips, “Alright, thank you. Your elements make me feel very comfortable.”
Hedgehog figured he’d probably never get the chance to say something like that in his life.
He crunched on his potato chips, originally wanting to complain about the stench of love to Duan Pei, who was munching on a meat bun. But he noticed the guy was lost in thought, obviously thinking about his curly-haired Mr. Xiu.
Hedgehog brushed the chip crumbs off his hands and drove off.
Although he knew the real situation was quite different from what the employer had described, whoever pays is the boss. For mercenaries like them who live off taking jobs, the biggest taboo is letting emotions get in the way and betraying the employer mid-mission.
So, Hedgehog still followed the original plan and delivered Duan Pei to the designated location.
However, he gave Duan Pei an idea, suggesting that he could have his master, Harold Xiu, pay double to hire him again to snatch Duan Pei back from the old man.
Hedgehog remarked that even at double the price, it would still be quite cheap. Just by looking at the guy’s fancy clothes, you could tell he can afford it. Then he boasted greedily, “As long as the price is right, anything can be negotiated.”
At this moment, Duan Pei was politely tied up like a dumpling, with a crumpled fried chicken wrapper stuffed in his mouth, the taste of honey mustard sauce lingering in his mouth.
“If you agree, just nod your head, and I’ll secretly give you a chance to send an SOS to Xiu.” Hedgehog’s scheme was elaborate, with a viper coiled around his shoulder, slithering in a Z-pattern, flicking its tongue, eyeing the tasty black-haired hamster in front of it.
“…” Duan Pei straightened his neck, clearly having something to say.
Hedgehog thought there might be a good opportunity here, a job with triple the pay, but when he took out the wrapper, he heard Duan Pei politely and gracefully say, “No need, thank you.”
Hedgehog instantly stuffed the paper back into the man’s mouth, silencing him.
Xiao Zhenyun didn’t participate in the final delivery process. He and Si Di changed cars midway, enduring another hour of bumps, and arrived at the small rented apartment he had in town as the dawn was breaking.
The moment he hit the bed, Xiao Zhenyun lost consciousness. Just before closing his eyes, he saw Si Di looking at his right hand with concern, probably afraid his unrestrained sleeping posture might press on the wound.
Who would’ve thought that the big black wolf who was so fierce to him before would now worry like a mother about his sleeping position.
Xiao Zhenyun smiled faintly and sank into his dreams.
He was confident this would be a good night’s sleep, and indeed it was.
He slept from dawn till dusk, waking up to the rich and comforting aroma of food. Si Di had his back turned, talking to someone on voice chat, probably Si Chu.
The little dog was ‘interrogating’ his brother why he had taken another day off, asking what he was up to, and if he was still with that green tea guy, and indignantly stating that a captain who neglected his duties didn’t deserve to be their captain.
“Alright, alright, then you take Xiao Fei out to work on your own,” Si Di said, staring at the bubbling seafood congee on the gas stove. “I have a potential vice-captain here who will take over seamlessly when you leave.”
“Who?” Si Chu couldn’t help but tease, “That green tea? You plan on bringing him into the Storm Squad?!”
Si Di adjusted the heat of the congee, “Stop calling him green tea, he has a name.”
He pondered for a moment how to let Si Chu address the current ‘stand-in’ for Xiao Zhenyun. The name ‘Xiao Zhen’ on the fake ID might fool others, but it wasn’t quite suitable to tell Si Chu, as for Xiao Zhenyun’s nickname… he could only remember the one Xiao Zhenyun had given himself… Grasshopper.
It didn’t sound particularly flattering either.
“Hmph.” Si Chu was thoroughly displeased, “I don’t like him.”
Si Di chuckled softly, “Don’t worry, once Little Uncle’s back, I’ll dump him immediately.”
“…Brother, you’re really terrible. You’ve changed, you’ve become so unfamiliar to me, I don’t even recognize you anymore.”
“Sigh…” Si Di followed suit, playing up the drama. “It’s just that Zhenyun’s gone, and my heart feels empty too. I’m not myself anymore.”
Si Chu was infuriated. “Brother, what are you joking around about? You’re incurable! You’re hopeless. You’re just like that green tea now.”
Green Tea, who was slowly sitting up in bed, yawned, rubbing his sleepy eyes, leaning against the headboard with tousled hair, not moving. When Si Di heard the voice, he quickly muted the chat, “I won’t talk to you now, I’ll be back tomorrow.”
With that, he hung up the call directly, “You’re awake, I’ve cooked some congee, you can freshen up and we’ll eat.”
“But there’s no kitchen or utensils here, how did you manage…” Xiao Zhenyun yawned again, pulling back the covers. Si Di fetched the prosthetic limb from the bedside, carefully helping him put it on, “The market vendors helped with the seafood, and the supermarket had pre-measured ingredients just enough for a meal.”
“Well, that’s impressive…” Xiao Zhenyun wasn’t fully awake yet, speaking a bit slower than usual. Si Di was itching badly seeing him in this state, leaning against the door frame, watching Xiao Zhenyun brush his teeth and wash his face.
Xiao Zhenyun also granted him a kiss with an icy mint flavor afterward.
The two sat face to face, leisurely enjoying the seafood congee. The busy captain dealt with urgent documents while the idle other browsed the star network news.
Hedgehog’s video call came in at this moment, which Si Di promptly projected onto the wall.
Hedgehog was also having dinner, with a large bowl of spicy and fragrant crayfish in front of him, making Si Di’s stomach ache. He raised his chili oil-covered hand and gulped down the ice-cold Coke, frowning, “Tsk, it’s really hard to understand the mentality of ordinary people. I was so straightforward, but Duan Pei still refused to do business with me and ask his master for help. He even said he’d rather die than go back home. Does his master not have enough money for my little commission?… Or does he look down on my abilities, thinking I can’t rescue him from the Commander-in-Chief’s house?”
“Of course, it’s not that he looks down on you,” Xiao Zhenyun said, “It’s just that he’s already done this business with me.”
Hedgehog lowered his head to gnaw on a crayfish shell, then abruptly raised it, spitting out half a crayfish, “What do you mean?… When?!”
“It was when you went to the bathroom halfway through,” Xiao Zhenyun scooped up the steaming hot congee with a porcelain spoon, pressing it against his lips to cool, “He said he’s willing to pay me double the reward to take him back again.”
“Huh? Why didn’t he ask me? Can’t he see who’s really in charge of this group?”
Xiao Zhenyun couldn’t be bothered with him and continued on his own, “I told him it’s not possible, the mission must be completed, but if he’s willing to pay double the reward, I can help him send a message to the outside world.”
With that, he raised his eyes to Hedgehog, a sly smile playing at the corner of his lips where the spoon didn’t fully cover, “He agreed.”
“…” Hedgehog looked choked, glancing between Xiao Zhenyun and Si Di. The silver-haired sentinel with a cat’s tongue was stirring the porridge with a spoon, waiting for it to cool, silently avoiding Hedgehog’s gaze, “I wasn’t involved at all, it’s none of my business.”
“But you didn’t tell me either, Black Wolf.” Hedgehog was annoyed, “That’s not fair, you’re both so unfair! Let me tell you…”
“You’ll get half of the reward.”
“Sixty-forty, I get sixty.”
“Deal.” Xiao Zhenyun responded decisively, as befitting the Vice Chairman of the Guild, he wasn’t short on money.
Hedgehog also immediately smiled with joy, “Deal.”
With the issue of uneven distribution of loot among the bandits resolved, the viper leader happily started peeling crayfish again, “…By the way, what’s the use of just sending a message to that Harold Xiu? Can that guy barge into Commander Duan’s house with a big ax? It’s still more cost-effective to hire me.”
“Who told you his distress signal was sent to Xiu?” Xiao Zhenyun bit into a peeled shrimp, very fresh, with a hint of sweetness.
“Then who else could it be?”
“At first, I thought he would definitely send this life-saving message to his most trusted owner.” Si Di also raised his eyes, “Duan Pei himself was indeed hesitant, but after hesitating, he passed the message to… his brother, Duan Fei.”
Hedgehog stopped peeling the crayfish, surprised.
Three seconds later, he asked, “Who’s Duan Fei?”
“And, Black Wolf, didn’t you say you weren’t involved at all? Why do you know so much?”
“Don’t pretend the signal is bad!”
Early the next morning, Xiao Zhenyun and Si Di parted ways. One returned to the secluded countryside to continue hiding, while the other went back to the bustling city to continue working overtime.
With only one hand left intact, Xiao Zhenyun relied on the great intelligent housekeeper robot arm that was tucked away in every corner of the villa. Otherwise, even squeezing toothpaste alone would be a problem for him. But because it was inconvenient to put on and take off the prosthetic limb with one hand, Xiao Zhenyun reverted to using the wheelchair.
When Si Di found him wrapped in a blanket reading a book in his wheelchair during a video call, he paused for a moment. Xiao Zhenyun couldn’t help but tease him, “If you dare to say something like ‘the old man’s back,’ I’ll kill you.”
“But indeed, when you sit in the wheelchair, that vibe does come back.”
“What vibe?”
“The vibe of the bachelor uncle from the noble family.”
“…”
Xiao Zhenyun and Si Di discussed when they could meet again after their parting. Si Di said as long as nothing big happens in the next week, he could spare two days to hang out with him.
“You see, your words, do they sound like…”
“Not at all.” Si Di warned him seriously, “Repeat after me, nothing big will happen in the next week.”
Xiao Zhenyun wasn’t naive enough to follow along, “Is it effective? When it’s time for something to happen, it will happen.”
Clearly, the guide’s words were prophetic. A week later, something big indeed happened. Si Di received internal news from Xiao Jingfeng, saying that the grandson of the Commander-in-Chief of the Military Region had gone missing for three days, and there was no news from him. The school even claimed he had left a week ago, and the old man was nearly frantic.
“Which grandson? The older one or the younger one?” Si Di asked.
“Of course, it’s the precious grandson, Duan Fei,” Xiao Jingfeng turned around, “I didn’t expect you to be quite familiar with the Duan family? Most people only know about Duan Fei, but you even know that their family has more than one grandson?”
Si Di remained composed, “Shouldn’t I?”
“Pretty good, no wonder you’re the ace of the Special Agents Guild,” Xiao Jingfeng lowered his head to read the documents that came from the Military Region, “The Commander-in-Chief requested our help. Si Di, please coordinate with the people sent by the Commander-in-Chief and follow up on this task.”
“Understood.”
Meanwhile…
Xiao Zhenyun was forcibly dragged out of his home by Hedgehog, disguised quickly, and then rushed to the single room he rented in the town. When he opened the door, the footsteps of two more people suddenly appeared behind him. As the door closed, he, Hedgehog, Duan Pei and Duan Fei, four large men, were crammed into the cramped room, making the space inside feel exceptionally narrow and suffocating.
“Hello, everyone,” Hedgehog awkwardly started.
The author has something to say:
Hedgehog: Today we gather here to stink up the place and make a mess!