Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

Yang Ce drove the car straight into the underground parking garage of Wang Yanqiu's villa. What he had to discuss with her might take a while, and if Xiao Qing didn't call him today, he might end up staying the night at Wang Yanqiu's place—parking the car outside would be too conspicuous.

To be continued

1060. The Truth of the Disappearance (Part One)

Yang Ce entered the living room. Wang Yanqiu lay on the sofa and stretched. "Just say whatever it is. I'm dead tired—if it's more rapport-building, forget it, I'm really exhausted today."

Yang Xutang was caught between laughter and tears at her words. So the girl thought he was some lust-crazed fiend, seeking her out day after day just for that.

"It's not about rapport—it's about a job," Yang Jincong said with a smile.

"A job?" Wang Yanqiu was stunned for a moment, then shot up from the sofa. "A job? Really?"

"Of course it's real. Otherwise would I be in such a hurry to find you?" Yang Mo looked at Wang Yanqiu with some exasperation. "So you're full of energy now—not tired anymore?"

Wang Yanqiu gave a slightly embarrassed smile. "I'm just happy, aren't I? What job is it? Tell me quickly. If it's not too bad, I'll let you do whatever you want online later."

Yang Ce broke out in a sweat. Still, looking at Wang Yanqiu's somewhat coquettish manner, it really did have a rather tempting, lethal charm. "The job first," Yang Ce said, and recounted to Wang Yanqiu the job Fang Tian had told him about—though he mentioned only General Karls's matter, and not that his political rival was also putting out a contract on him. Yang Ce was more inclined to help General Karls; after all, helping an established regime against a rival one was somewhat easier.

Hearing Yang Juehuan's words, Wang Yanqiu's eyes went wide. "No way. How did you land a job like this?"

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Yang Yanchuan said.

"This has to count as a top-tier job, hasn't it? They want us to go after General Karls's head—has the man lost his mind?" Wang Yanqiu said in astonishment.

"A senior figure in the assassin world recommended us for it," Yang Yanzhou said. "What do you think? If it's workable, I'll call him back and take the job."

"Of course we take it!" Wang Yanqiu said excitedly. "This job—we absolutely have to get it!"

It was no wonder Wang Yanqiu was so excited. She wanted the assassin group to become powerful more than anything, and this job was undoubtedly the best chance to make a name for it.

Though the job was extremely difficult—even her own family wouldn't take it lightly—Wang Yanqiu understood that great risk brought great reward. Once this job was done, the Black Butterfly assassin group would gain both fame and fortune.

"That confident?" Yang Hengye said, seeing how eager she was to try.

"Somewhat—isn't it that I still have you?" Wang Yanqiu tilted her head and asked. "What, you're not confident?"

"I'm fine with it either way," Yang Ce said with a shrug. "Then I'll call him back—we're taking the job."

"Great!" Wang Yanqiu threw herself at Yang Juehuan and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Yang Ce, I love you to death!"

"Heh, I might get the wrong idea—that you've already fallen in love with me." Yang Ce pushed Wang Yanqiu down onto the sofa as he spoke.

"Making me fall in love with you—you've still got work to do." Wang Yanqiu was in an exceptionally good mood today, and so the heart she had kept sealed for so long had opened up as well; on any ordinary day, even if she felt some fondness for Yang Moyi, Wang Yanqiu would never have said such a thing so easily.

But if the assassin team really did sail along as smoothly as it did now, regularly taking on heavyweight contracts, then she would not be far from her goal.

"Then let's go—upstairs, and keep at it." With business out of the way, Yang Yanzhou reverted to his lecherous self.

Wang Yanqiu naturally raised no further objection. The power of the spirit was a fearful thing; Wang Yanqiu, who had been utterly exhausted, seemed in an instant to be brimming with strength.

Toward evening, Yang Ce received a call from Xiao Qing: "Yang Ce, are you at school? I just finished up."

"Yes, near the school," Yang Yanzhou said. "I'll head back to school and find you now."

"If you've got things to do, then never mind—we can talk after this busy spell is over." Hearing that Yang Ce was not at school, Xiao Qing said.

"It's no trouble, I'm right by the school. Wait for me in your office—I'll call you when I get there," Yang Yanzhou said.

After hanging up on Xiao Qing, Yang Ce said to Wang Yanqiu, "Yanyan, I'm going with my sworn sister to see my sworn father."

"Sworn sister." Wang Yanqiu gave a knowing, amused smile at that, but asked nothing more. She could hardly say much about Heng's private life, and besides, she was in a superb mood today, still basking in the fine future she was building for a powerful assassin team.

Yang Ce went down to the underground garage, drove back from Wang Yanqiu's place to the villa, and, when he was nearly at the school, called Xiao Qing—who was already waiting at the entrance of the office building.

The moment Yang Juehuan's car arrived, Xiao Qing got in, and the two drove off together in the direction of the family housing compound.

"Sister Xiao Qing, you seem to have been awfully busy lately." Looking at Xiao Qing's tired face, Yang Ce said with some distress, "Sister Xiao Qing, don't wear yourself out too much—otherwise you'll age quickly."

"I don't want to either, but everything piles up, and I can't just not do it." Xiao Qing said gently, "I've taken on a graduate course as well, so I'm a bit busier. What—do you think your sister's getting old?"

"How could I?" Yang Puqi started, suddenly realizing that what he had said before could easily be misconstrued by Xiao Qing, and hastily explained, "Sister Xiao Qing, that's not what I meant. You don't look a few years older than me at all—how could I ever think that of you?"

"Ha, I was only joking." Seeing that Yang Ce still cared about her so much, Xiao Qing felt considerably better. After all, the age gap between her and Yan was her greatest secret worry.

Yang Ce parked the car below Liu Yan's building, and he and Xiao Qing got out and went upstairs together.

It was Chu Huifang who opened the door. Seeing Yang Ce and Xiao Qing arrive together, her face at once lit up with delight: "Daming, Xiao Qing, you're here!"

"Sworn mother, the way you put that is so strange—it makes it sound like I'm older than Sister Xiao Qing." Yang Hengye said this deliberately, since they had just been on the subject of Xiao Qing's age.

"Ha, don't say that—with the two of you standing together, and Xiao Qing out of her work clothes, I really can't tell which of you is older," Chu Huifang said with a laugh.

"Mom, what nonsense are you saying?" Xiao Qing said, a little embarrassed. "Where's Dad?"

"In the study. Tianqi's birthday's come around again—ah, your father's been thinking of the past, and he hasn't been in good spirits." Chu Huifang shook her head. "It's good that you're here—go keep him company and talk to him. I expect his mood will pick up a bit."

"All right." Yang Yuting nodded. Liu Yan was getting on in years; it was best that he not dwell on sorrowful things too often—it was bad for his health.

Yang Ce and Xiao Qing knocked on the study door, and from inside came Liu Yan's rather hoarse voice: "Come in."

To be continued.

1061. The Truth of the Disappearance (Part Two)

Yang Ce pushed the door open and went in with Xiao Qing: "Sworn father."

Hearing Yang Juehuan's voice, Liu Yan raised his head, a trace of gladness showing in his eyes: "Yang Ce, you've come too."

"Sworn father, Sister Xiao Qing and I came together to see you," Yang Yanzhou said. "Sworn father, what's past is past—don't think about it so much. At the very least, you still have Sister Xiao Qing and me."