She really had no need to be afraid. She didn't know about and wasn't involved in any of Yao Chen's affairs. Even if one day, Yao Chen was caught by the police, she wouldn't be in trouble.

So what was she afraid of?

That something would happen to him?

Yao Chen didn't like this at all.

He had always been uncaring and unrestrained. It was why he could be fiercer and more ruthless than than anyone else. But now that little siren had placed chains around his mind. He had the sense that his hands had been tied.

Yao Chen knew that this was very bad. This was very wrong.

But then he looked down at Han Yanyan. Reflected in her dark and clear eyes was his own image. Her emotions were never strong, always weak. Even her worries about him were faded.

But that faint worry made his heart soft and terrified.

He couldn't help but lower his head to her pale pink lips. They were fragrant, soft, and warm. Her tongue was clever and naughty, and her body so small and exquisite that when it conformed to the body, one felt like it had become one's own flesh and blood.

This kiss wasn't so much about impatience, possession, and invasion. This kiss was gentle and comfortable, even hinting at the temptation and timidity of first love.

It was the first time that Yao Chen had ever kissed her like this. Was it the man who had changed? Or was it his heart?

Whichever it is, it was a small step forward for her.

"Just go to school, read your books, and don't entertain any foolish ideas." Yao Chen let her go and rubbed the back of her slender neck. "Get a master's degree or something, and make me look good. Don't worry about my business."

He paused, then said to her confidently and arrogantly, "The police will never get me."

"Un," Han Yanyan murmured, lying boneless on his chest.

However, it wasn't just the police who wanted to get you, but… me, too.

Most of Han Yanyan's daily purchases were done using credit card, with the occasional cash purchase. It was Yao Chen who used more cash. She was allowed to take and use the cash from the small study's safe.

In her school's computer lab, she entered a forum using the memory of "Policewoman Han Yanyan". "Policewoman Han Yanyan" had once participated in a certain investigation for quite some time, and knew of someone who sold professional-grade surveillance equipment online.

These little cases were what they used to beef up their end of the year performances. It was on a similar level to catching faked certificates. Jiang Ye had taken them to suss out several sales in K City, but they hadn't pursued the supply line further since it crossed provinces.

At that time, however, Jiang Ye had praised the quality of the surveillance equipment. They were imitations, but they were at a professional level.

That said, awhile after the police harvested one crop, another crop would emerge.

Han Yanyan lurked in that forum for a period of time and found a seller. Professional-level goods were expensive, but Han Yanyan had money. Using the cash from the safe, she paid the other party.

The cash was transferred without a trace left behind, and the things were sent to the school pickup point.

After getting them, Han Yanyan bugged all the places she thought necessary.

She purchased a second, anonymous phone number, installed voice changing software into her old phone, and called Jiang Ye.

"If you're interested in Yao Chen, you might as well go fishing in Qingshui Bay. Who knows what you'll find."

"Who are you?" Jiang Ye asked.

Han Yanyan replied, "Someone who wants to bring him to justice, just like you."

"Whether or not you find anything, don't let Yao Chen know that I exist," she reminded him, then hung up the phone.

Jiang Ye checked the number. It was anonymous and couldn't be traced. But this man had named Yao Chen, and Yao Chen was a thorn in Jiang Ye's heart. He was obsessed with removing the cancer of Yao Chen from K City.

He applied for funds and hired a professional diver to search Qingshui Bay.

Qingshui Bay wasn't small. After searching for three days, just as Jiang Ye was about to give up, the diver made a discovery.

Over ten sacks were fished out from the bottom of the water, all of them filled with lead shot to ensure that they would sink. The corpses were in different states of decay. According to forensic identification, some of them had died very recently, within the last year, and some of them had been dead for over ten.

Thankfully, the country had begun the gene archiving project about ten years ago. Through gene pool comparisons, most of the dead were identified.

Unexpectedly, none of these people were on the "missing person" list. No one had even reported their disappearance, because most of them were not decent folk, but gangsters. No one cared that they were gone, just like mice disappearing into the sewers, and those who cared wouldn't have told the police.

Since the objective was clear, Jiang Ye quickly figured out the relationship between these people and Yao Chen. Most of them used to be his enemies, and some of them had been his subordinates, possibly traitors who had been taken care of. Among them was a good friend that Jiang Ye had been searching for for many years - a policeman who had once gone undercover, and then disappeared into the void.

He was the reason why Jiang Ye had sunk his teeth into Yao Chen and wouldn't let go.

Jiang Ye abided by the agreement and did not expose Han Yanyan's existence. The news reported that it had been discovered by a diving enthusiast.

Yao Chen watched the news from his sofa, one arm around Han Yanyan, and clicked his tongue.

She looked up at him from his embrace.

His lips were bent in a mocking, malicious smile.

Perhaps some women would have found it very attractive. Indeed, a cold, callous, merciless man, even a sinister and evil one, was sometimes accompanied by sexual attraction. Such attraction weakened the woman, allowing her to ignore the injustice of what the man had done.

Han Yanyan only glanced at the news. Then she bent her head, still half reclined in Yao Chen's arms, and continued reading her book.

The book she was reading was the biography of the legendary figure that Yao Chen had liked so much.

This great historical figure had been descended from a porter, and later become a famous force in the underworld. He had once led the resistance against foreign drugs in the country, and when the world was shaking, he had stood to lead 3,000 officials against foreign aggression. He lived a legendary life, ending brilliantly in Parliament, and passed on 70 years ago.

In that era the mafia was dominated by righteousness, and the eldest brothers full of patriotic zeal.

But times had changed. People's hearts were no longer so honest.