Murong Xue nodded and said, "Okay, Mom."
She glanced at her phone messages, still feeling a pang of annoyance. After several attempts to call, finding the line consistently busy only made her more irritated.
"You dare turn off your phone, Li Yang? Just you wait, you'll regret this tomorrow."
Meanwhile, at Li Yang's home, an equally stunning beauty gritted her teeth in frustration. "Didn't you say you'd be back tonight? Why is it so late and you're still not here!"
This woman was Xue Mi'er, the King of Assassins. She had spent the entire day setting traps, one after another, a total of eighty-one in all.
Once triggered, any one of these traps would activate the others, creating a chain reaction of lethal moves.
Even if someone possessed the martial prowess to evade forty-nine or sixty-four traps, they would still struggle against the eighty-one interconnected killing blows.
As she completed her work, Xue Mi'er could already envision Li Yang meeting a gruesome end in her hands.
But where was he?
After several calls, all of which went straight to voicemail, Xue Mi'er's composure began to crumble.
"Could that Li Yang fellow not be coming back at all tonight?"
The thought sent a wave of despair through her. To ensure her eighty-one traps were foolproof, she had trapped herself within them.
She was waiting for Li Yang to trigger the traps and then leave.
Now, with Li Yang not returning, she couldn't leave and was confined to the living room sofa.
It would have been fine if she had eaten, but in her haste to finish, she had been racing against time. All day, apart from the breakfast she shared with Li Yang, she hadn't had a single drop of water!
She was now extremely hungry.
The next morning, Li Yang still hadn't returned. Xue Mi'er was so weak from hunger that she felt her vision blurring.
"Damn it, is he ever coming back? He's not off on a business trip to Kunming City again, is he?"
If that were the case, she might very well starve to death here.
At this very moment, Li Yang was heartily devouring food, giving a thumbs-up and exclaiming, "Delicious, exceptionally delicious."
"I never expected your cooking to be this good. It's truly astonishing."
"What are you talking about? My cooking has always been excellent," Zhou Yi said, leaning in and gazing into his eyes. "If you like it, I'll make you more."
"No matter how delicious this food is, it's not as delicious as you," Li Yang said, a smirk playing on his lips. He cupped her face and kissed her fiercely.
They only separated after Zhou Yi was breathless and weak.
Li Yang stood up and said, "After breakfast, I usually head to the antique shop or the jade gambling market. Do you want to come with me?"
"No, I plan to take a day off and start looking for a job tomorrow," Zhou Yi replied.
Li Yang then remembered she had quit her job for him yesterday. He smiled and said, "Why don't you come help out at my antique shop?"
"No. That's your endeavor, and I should have my own path," Zhou Yi shook her head, refusing his kind offer.
Li Yang chuckled, "Alright. Let me know when you find a job, and I'll celebrate with you."
"You said it, so don't forget," Zhou Yi said with a smile.
Li Yang nodded and waved goodbye, "I definitely won't forget. I'm leaving now."
"Yes, drive carefully," Zhou Yi saw him off to his car and watched him drive away.
As Li Yang drove through the streets, he spotted a vegetable market and suddenly felt like he had forgotten something, but he couldn't recall what.
Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on it if he couldn't remember. He continued driving towards the antique shop.
Meanwhile, at her home, the assassin Xue Mi'er was on the verge of fainting from hunger, sitting on the sofa with her stomach rumbling loudly.
"Li Yang, if I don't kill you, I'm no human!"
"Achoo!"
Li Yang stepped out of the car, rubbing his nose. He sniffed the air and asked, "Dong, what's that smell? It's so irritating to the nose."
"There's an antique shop across the street undergoing renovations. It's probably the paint fumes," Er Dong immediately explained. "I've already spoken to them. The shop owner is quite accommodating and said they'll stop construction when the crowd picks up at noon, so it won't affect business."
"An antique shop? What's its background?" Li Yang asked curiously.
Er Dong lowered his voice, "It seems to be from Dongguang. They're likely not weak."
The Dongguang region had developed economically early and rapidly, and like Panjiayuan in the capital, it had several major antique markets.
It was a place that produced many talented individuals.
Li Yang glanced at the antique shop being renovated. He saw a middle-aged man in a traditional jacket combing the sparse hair on his head. As if sensing his gaze, the man turned and looked at him a few times before offering a friendly smile and walking over.
"Boss, he seems to be coming over," Er Dong said.
Li Yang nodded, "He's probably coming to say hello. Go make some tea and bring some pastries."
"Yes, Boss."
The middle-aged man in the white jacket from across the street walked over and smiled, cupping his fist. "Hello there. May I ask if you are the owner of this establishment?"
"Yes, I'm Li Yang. And what do I call you?" Li Yang smiled and extended a hand.
The middle-aged boss chuckled, "My surname is Shuang. My full name is Shuang Dafu. Those who know me all call me Dafu."
"Boss Li, you are truly young and accomplished. On my first day here, I already heard of your great reputation. It's truly admirable."
"Boss Dafu is too kind. I'm just trying to make a living. Please, come in," Li Yang said with a smile.
Shuang Dafu laughed, "You're too modest. Your reputation precedes you, and it's well-deserved. You must be a top-notch treasure appraisal expert."
"As soon as I knew you were here, I wanted to ask for your help with something."
"Oh? What is it?" Li Yang asked, curious.
Shuang Dafu took out a package from his person. The cloth used to wrap it was fine silk, exceptionally smooth and delicate.
He was a man of protocol and didn't hand the item directly to Li Yang. Instead, he placed it on a table, then carefully untied the silk knot, revealing a jade thumb ring.
"Please take a look at this," Shuang Dafu said. "Don't worry, I won't have you look for free."
"This is a token of appreciation."
With that, he produced a bulging red envelope and placed it next to the thumb ring.
If Li Yang agreed to examine it, he wouldn't take the envelope back, and it would naturally belong to Li Yang.
If Li Yang was unwilling to help, the envelope would simply remain on the table, and he could take it back at any time, thus avoiding any awkwardness between them.
Li Yang glanced at the jade thumb ring, and a sudden warmth spread through his lower abdomen, startling him. This item likely had an extraordinary origin.