"I see… so, he is xiao Ling's…" Jonathan Baurne sighed after he heard what Lao Xie told him. "I didn't know… I never heard xiao Ling, that child, saving someone… well. He is a humble child." He chuckled. "I'll invite Yi Ling when he returned. I want to hear from him about xiao Ling." He told Lao Xie.
"Yes. He can be considered as xiao Ling's friend, as well as Xiao San." Lao Xie said. "Such fate for us to meet them two… I don't know if they have already heard about xiao Ling's death – " he said and paused. "Let's treat these youngsters well, as a compensation for xiao Ling." He said.
"En." Jonathan Baurne answered. "About the Xi family…" he said in a low voice.
Lao Xie's voice became cold. "That youngster Yi Ling is a good seedling. I don't care if he's in the wrong investigating them, the Xi family. But – " he said. " – if the Xi family dared harm him…" he didn't continue, since he knows Jonathan Baurne knows what he is about to say.
"Yes." Jonathan Baurne's expression became frosty. "I still haven't repaid them from the humiliation they've given our family twenty-four years ago." He sarcastically said.
Lao Xie sneered. "They just wait." He said and ended the call.
Jonathan Baurne's eyes cooled, and became colder when Jason Baurne entered his sight. "What did you come out for?" he asked, his voice filled with disdain.
"Uncle." Jason Baurne called quietly. Facing Jonathan Baurne, if someone were to see them, one would think they are father and son instead of uncle and his nephew. They have the same face, and only differed in their eyes since Jason Baurne's eyes are like his father's.
Before, some said that Jason Baurne's mother cuckolded her husband and conceived her husband's younger brother's offspring after they saw how similar Jason Baurne's face to Jonathan Baurne. Because of it, the rumor became a burden to Jason Baurne's mother and Jason Baurne hated his face, as well as his uncle who he bears semblance to.
When his father died, he blamed Jonathan Baurne for failing to protecting his father. When Jonathan Baurne returned with a child, he hated Jonathan Baurne, thinking Jonathan Baurne really usurped the clan head's position thus he killed his brothers. See, he returned with his bastard child!
They said, love her, as well as her dog. For Jason Baurne, he hates Jonathan Baurne, and so he also hated Jonathan Baurne's 'child'. His anger burned more when Jonathan Baurne favored Huo Ling more than him, his blood-related nephew.
"What?" Jonathan Baurne's cold voice woke Jason Baurne from his daze. "What did you come out of your room for?" he asked again.
"Uncle. I heard you mentioned Huo Ling – " Jason Baurne said as he clenched his fists. However, before he could finish his words, he flinched when the flower vase standing by the wall crashed on the floor and broke to pieces after Jonathan Baurne flung it. Jason Baurne's heart became cold as he watched the water inside the vase flowed towards his feet. The petals of the flowers scattered and stuck on the floor.
Jonathan Baurne threw the flower vase by his feet. "You have no right to utter that name after you killed him!" he heard Jonathan Baurne shouted at him. His eyes glaring at him are full of hate and disgust. "I don't want to see you. Go back to your room!" he told his thirty-year old nephew who is a bachelor like him.
Jason Baurne's face paled. Surprisingly, he obediently followed Jonathan Baurne and locked himself up in his room. A stunned expression on his face as he slid down the behind door and, silently, his tears streamed down his cheeks.
Suddenly, he heard a buzzing sound near him. He turned and saw his cellphone, on top of the table, is vibrating. The screen lit up when it received a message before the screen turned black again. He walked towards it and pressed on the screen, only to freeze when he saw the name of the sender.
It was Xi Zhengting.
S City, downtown.
"One wrap, please." Gu Xingfeng said as he gave the money to the street vendor. "Thanks." He said as he took the two handheld wraps and walked towards a bench. "Here." He said as he handed one to Hao Baiyun.
"Thanks." Hao Baiyun said as he received the food and bit it.
Gu Xingfeng stared at Hao Baiyun who is wearing an expensive dark blue suit while holding a handheld wraps and nibbling on it. Although it looked disharmonious, but Gu Xingfeng thinks Hao Baiyun looked cute like this.
He sat beside Hao Baiyun and ate his own wrap. "What did you find on the Lee family?" he asked as he crossed his legs. His uniform tightly hugs his body, showing his curves and pleasant-looking muscles.
"They are planning something big." Hao Baiyun said.
"'something big'?" Gu Xingfeng paused in eating. He turned to Hao Baiyun.
"Daniel Lee implied last night, during the dinner." Hao Baiyun said. "I had my father specifically come with me to block him." He explained.
Gu Xingfeng chuckled. "I thought you have reconciled with your father." He said.
"Never." Hao Baiyun viciously bit on his wrap. "However, if he didn't go with me last night, the Hao family would definitely fall in a trap without them knowing." He said.
Gu Xingfeng fell silent and just stared at Hao Baiyun. Although Hao Baiyun says he doesn't care about his family, but his actions show he does. Greatly. If he really doesn't care about the Hao family, he would've not informed his father about the Lee family's sinister plan. "What is their plan?" he asked.
"Get the Hao family on board and use their connections and power to pressure the Xi family, and later eat them whole." Hao Baiyun answered without a change in his impression. "Me on the business track is just an icing on the cake. They want me to pressure the Xi family's businesses while they attack them from behind." He said before he coldly smiled.
Gu Xingfeng felt a chill on his spine. "If you didn't bring your father…" he said. The Hao family would definitely suffer a great injustice. "But, why the Xi family? Aren't their families allies through marriage?" he asked.
"Dunno." Hao Baiyun frowned. "Naturally, it's another filthy secret they wouldn't dare imagine to come to light." He said.
Gu Xingfeng fell silent. "This circle is really chaotic." He said, referring to the circle of the rich. "More chaotic than the underworld." He wryly smiled.
Suddenly, both of them fell silent. "We haven't even said goodbye to him." Hao Baiyun said. The 'him' he is referring to is Huo Ling. Then, he looked at the wraps in his hand.
Gu Xingfeng also lowered his head and looked at the wraps in his hands. He remembered, when he and Hao Baiyun were saved by Huo Ling, as they were escaping, the three of them became hungry. Then, a street vendor passed by while the three of them sat on the road side, beaten black and blue.
Because he and Hao Baiyun were robbed, a smokescreen used by the assassins to kill them, they didn't have money on them. It was Huo Ling who bought wraps and he gave them one each. Huo Ling not only saved their life, but he also saved their grumbling stomach.
"The people in the dark can't be given a proper funeral since they would remain in the dark, even after their death." Gu Xingfeng quietly said as he resumed eating his wrap.
Hao Baiyun didn't answer and just continued staring at his wrap. He remembered that time, because he grew up in a rich household, he never ate cheap foods, much less ones sold in the street. Thus, he refused to eat the wraps at first bought by Huo Ling for him.
Then, he heard Huo Ling said. "Even a pig can eat a leftover food. Are you going to wait for the time to become worse than a pig and eat dirt?" he asked.
Hao Baiyun felt disgusted that time, but he knew he shouldn't be picky about his food. He looked at Gu Xingfeng who ate the wraps with relish because of hunger. After he finished eating, he blinked his eyes. His expression showed he obviously hadn't had enough of his food.
Hao Baiyun wanted to give his wraps to Gu Xingfeng, but Gu Xingfeng told him that time. "I am a police officer. I am responsible for the welfare of the citizens. Even if I am hungry, and you have two wraps, but I would still have you eat the two wraps." He said. "Even if I am not satiated, but I am not a greedy person." He added. "Just eat." He told him.
Hao Baiyun's cheeks flushed and he resumed eating his wraps. He didn't dare glance at Gu Xingfeng sitting beside him. Instead, he lowered his head to hide his blushing face. Gu Xingfeng did notice the change in Hao Baiyun's behavior, but he thought that the other is still sad.
He rose from his seat and walked back to the street vendor to buy another wrap. "Sir, give me another wraps – "
A voice spoke the same time as him. "I want to buy two wraps." It was a male, and his voice is deep tinged with coldness and indifference. But, it was pleasant to listen to.
Gu Xingfeng turned, at the same time, Hao Baiyun followed him. Both of them saw a tall and handsome man with black, silky hair tied by a red string. His eyes are deep, and icy blue. Both of them were stunned, and a strange feeling bubbled in their chest. "Have we met before?" they asked.
The man heard them and turned. His cold gaze boring onto them.