Chapter 71 – Threads of Loyalty, Ties of War
The mood back at Bai Corp was somber. Xueqing moved like a shadow, silent but commanding, her mind heavy with Wei Ziren's words.
Yanshang... he still dreams of her.
The memory of Xu Yanshang's haunted eyes surfaced—soft-spoken, deadly, and somewhere in that shattered mind... still hers.
In the security hub, Lin Nuo tapped furiously at his keyboard while chewing on a lollipop stick. "We've got chatter," he said. "Encrypted files moving through Oracle's dark channels. Names popping up. One in particular keeps circling back."
"Whose?" Mo Chen asked, arms crossed behind Xueqing.
"Du Rulan," Lin replied. "One of the silent investors in Bai Corp before your return, Xueqing. She disappeared right after the board reshuffle."
Xueqing's brow furrowed. "Du Rulan was a pawn, not a strategist."
"Maybe. But she's been seen near the docks. And guess who else just dropped off the grid?"
Mo Chen's phone vibrated. He glanced down, face hardening. "Xu Yanshang."
Xueqing turned sharply. "Where?"
"Warehouse district. A power outage covered the block at 3 a.m. Someone cleaned the camera footage, but he was sighted by a street vendor. Black gloves, red insignia."
Her heart twisted. "He's falling back into their hands."
---
That evening, the trio rode in silence. The black SUV wove through traffic, the city glimmering with indifferent lights.
"Do you trust him?" Lin asked quietly.
"No," Xueqing replied. "But I remember the man who once stood beside me in another life. The one who bled to protect me. If any piece of him remains…"
Mo Chen's jaw clenched. "And if it doesn't?"
She looked out the window. "Then I burn it all down. Even him."
---
At the warehouse, shadows shifted in the rafters. Xueqing stepped forward cautiously, flanked by Mo Chen and Lin.
"Yanshang," she called out. "If you're here… show yourself."
From above, a voice descended—soft and familiar.
"You shouldn't have come."
He landed silently before them, dressed in tactical black, the faint scar on his temple visible beneath his bangs. His eyes—no longer hollow—were sharp, calculating… and conflicted.
"Yanshang…" she whispered.
"I told you once," he said. "I would kill gods for you. Now they've made me their sword."
"I didn't ask for a sword," she replied. "I need the man who once gave me daisies and hid grenades in birthday cakes."
A flicker of a smile touched his lips.
"I remember," he said, voice cracking.
Mo Chen stepped beside her. "Then prove it. Help us stop Wei Ziren."
Yanshang's hands trembled. "He saved me from madness... but twisted what was left. If I betray him now…"
"You come home," Xueqing said.
Silence.
Then, slowly, Xu Yanshang dropped his weapon. "Then let me help you weave the end."