Chapter 127: Hero

Lin Wanbai never expected Lin Yao to pull such a stunt.

She immediately pulled her away, furrowed her brows, and a trace of thin anger rose in the depths of her eyes. "What are you doing?"

Lin Yao squinted and smiled, saying, "Your mouth is really soft, just like a woman's mouth."

"Have you kissed a woman's mouth again?"

She leaned in closer once more, her panda-eyed gaze fixed on her with a smile that made Lin Wanbai half-wonder if she had been recognized.

Of course, the most likely scenario was that she was just testing her.

Lin Yao pinched her cheek and rubbed it hard, saying, "Judging by your appearance, you look like you've never kissed a woman at all."

Lin Wanbai put on a serious expression, pushed her away, and made her sit upright. "Miss Lin, stop messing around. What on earth did you call me out here for?"

"Knowing you were in Haicheng, and since I happened to be performing here too, I felt lonely tonight, so I called you out to have some fun together. You look so handsome; ever since we parted that day, I've been thinking about you." She leaned in again, her slender arm winding around her sleeve.

Clearly, Lin Wanbai could not easily extricate herself.

She thought for a moment: she was currently disguised as a man, so was she really going to be afraid of these women?

Besides, her alcohol tolerance had improved by leaps and bounds lately; getting Lin Yao drunk would be a piece of cake.

She smiled and said, "Alright, I was just worrying about having nowhere to unwind. It's rare to have Miss Lin keeping me company today; I'm more than happy to oblige." She naturally draped her arm over Lin Yao's shoulder, then patted a young woman sitting nearby, signaling her to pour drinks, looking every bit the seasoned regular.

Having undergone months of training, she could easily pull off the swagger of a veteran habitué in such a nightlife establishment.

Lin Wanbai handed over a glass, leaned close to her ear, and said softly, "My treat?" She gently clinked her glass against the other's, her gaze immensely ambiguous. "Hmm?"

Lin Yao giggled. "You bet."

After a few drinks went down, Lin Wanbai took off her coat and loosened her tie. The atmosphere grew livelier; some people were dancing, while others swayed to the rhythm.

Lin Yao alternated between drinking and singing. When tired, she would sit by her side, exchange a few teasing remarks with her, and then eat some snacks.

When everyone else was drunk and slumped over, Lin Yao finished her last song, sat back down beside Lin Wanbai, leaned against her, tilted her head back to take a sip of wine, rested her chin on her shoulder, and pointed upward with her finger. "I booked a room in the hotel upstairs. Are you coming with me or not?"

"You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk. Let's go." She grabbed her bag and clothes, then pulled Lin Wanbai's hand as they walked out.

When they reached the lobby, hot dances were being performed on stage. Three women moved seductively, resembling beautiful serpents.

Men crowded around the front of the stage, and from time to time, groping hands reached out. The atmosphere was scorching.

Lin Yao paused to watch for a moment, then turned back, leaned into Lin Wanbai, and said, "Later on, I'll dance just for you. I dance way better than these women. You're getting a real bargain."

The rooms upstairs were connected to the bar; taking the elevator directly up brought immediate tranquility. The deafening music was completely shut out. The VIP room Lin Yao had booked offered amenities and privacy at a VIP level.

Walking to the door of the room, Lin Yao pressed the room key into Lin Wanbai's hand. "You open it."

Lin Wanbai complied, opening the door and inserting the key card. The lights flashed on rapidly—they were pink. The bed was circular and draped in gauze curtains. The adjoining bathroom was separated only by transparent glass draped with thin curtains, leaving almost nothing to the imagination.

Lin Yao pulled her, and the two of them tumbled onto the round bed together. The next second, she flipped over, climbed onto Lin Wanbai's body, pinned her wrists with both hands, and stared straight into her eyes. "Here we are, a young man and a young woman alone in a room together, and we've been drinking. The mood has been built up to this point, yet you remain entirely unmoved. Are you even a man?"

Lin Wanbai smiled and shook her head. "I still want to survive. Who doesn't know that you're the woman of Lei Ting from Hong Kong? Staying here with you now is equivalent to delivering my life straight to Boss Lei's hands. Though they say dying beneath the peony blossom leaves one a romantic ghost, I don't want to die just yet. Furthermore, the woman I want in my heart is Lin Wanbai. Even though my heart is pounding right now, I really don't want to die."

With a slight struggle, she easily broke free from Lin Yao's restraint, sat up abruptly, and took the opportunity to embrace her, performing a counter-maneuver to turn from passive to active. "Miss Yaoyao, please spare me."

With that, Lin Wanbai made a move to get up, but Lin Yao grabbed her and yanked her back fiercely. The distance between them closed instantly, and Lin Wanbai fell heavily back onto her.

"I just won't let go. What are you going to do about it?" she said, wrapping her arms and legs tightly around her.

Lin Yao looked at her with a mischievous smile, tangling herself even tighter. "Lin Qin, aren't you a man? Since you're a man, act like one and stop putting on a hypocritical act. I'm not afraid, so why are you afraid of dying? The fact that I could bring you here proves there's no problem. I have parents too; aren't I afraid?"

"So, stop talking crap and hurry up!"

Lin Wanbai didn't move, her expression turning serious.

The two stared at each other, their noses nearly touching. After a long moment, Lin Yao suddenly laughed, loosened her arms from around Lin Wanbai's neck, and lay limply on the bed. "Lin Wanbai, how much longer are you going to keep up the act? If you're really a man, take off your pants and show me. Well? Do you dare?"

Lin Wanbai pressed her lips together, sat up, and gave a light chuckle. "You went through all this trouble just to test me?"

"I grew up with you, living under your shadow; how could I possibly fail to recognize you? Of course, your disguise was good; I really didn't notice it at first. In fact, until I entered this room, I couldn't be one hundred percent sure." She sat straight up, crawled to the head of the bed, and switched the pink lighting to a normal hue.

As the soft light showered down, the entire room appeared much more normal.

Lin Yao removed her wig and took a wet wipe, erasing the heavy makeup from her face bit by bit.

"There's another point: Dad told me. He said this person was one hundred percent Lin Wanbai. What my dad says is essentially what your dad says."

As her voice trailed off, she stood before Lin Wanbai, her heavy makeup mostly wiped away, revealing her true appearance.

The two stared at each other, and Lin Wanbai still did not speak.

"What is your purpose in deliberately approaching me, Lin Wanbai?"

She remained silent.

Lin Yao folded her arms, waited for a moment, and seeing that she still wouldn't speak, gave a slight chuckle. "Stop pretending. There's no one else here, and there's no trap. I just wanted to catch up with you simply. The two of us sisters haven't sat down for a good chat in a long time. After all these years, I'm very curious about what happened between you and Fu Chuuxing. I heard he was buried at sea—is that true or false?"

"Then again, given Fu Chuuxing's temperament, how could he possibly let you run off on your own and end up looking like this?"

Lin Wanbai still looked at her impassively. Lin Yao circled her and raised an eyebrow. "Did you lose your memory?"

"Silence means it's true. Were you planning to keep me guessing forever? If you really have amnesia, you can ask me anything you want to know. I know everything." Seeing that she still had no intention of speaking, Lin Yao lost a bit of her temper. "Lin Wanbai, say something! You're already..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Lin Wanbai seized her wrist, executed a swift maneuver to get behind her, pinned her arms behind her back, and forced her down onto the bed. "Tell me, who put you up to this?"

She still insisted on using a man's voice.

Lin Yao struggled, but Lin Wanbai's grip was stronger than she expected, clamping down like iron tongs and leaving her unable to move. She remembered that the old Lin Wanbai didn't have such skills; suddenly feeling doubtful again, she strained her neck to look back at her.

A wave of pain washed over her, forcing her to turn her head back, burying her face in the bedsheets as she yelled muffledly, "You—let go of me!"

She thrashed about vigorously, earning a sharp flick to the forehead from Lin Wanbai. "Stop talking nonsense! Confess honestly, what are you people planning?!"

"Planning your head! Nobody instigated me to do anything; I'm here entirely on my own. If there really were a trap, do you think you'd still be able to pin me down here right now?! Let go, let go! Don't hurt me, I have a performance tomorrow!"

"If you don't want to get hurt, stop thrashing and confess obediently. Otherwise, I guarantee you won't be able to make it on stage tomorrow."

Lin Yao stopped struggling, took a deep breath, and coaxed in a reasonable tone, "Fine, I'll explain things to you completely and seriously now. Put one hundred and twenty percent of your heart at ease—no one is setting a trap to harm you. Aren't you just a nobody? You're not even Lin Wanbai; who would have nothing better to do than harm you?"

"Besides, Lei Ting has his hands full dealing with his own troubles lately; why would he run over here out of the blue to cause trouble for you? It really was just a misunderstanding. Let go, alright?"

Lin Wanbai thought for a moment and figured she posed no real threat, so she loosened her grip.

Lin Yao lay face down on the bed, let out a breath, and a few seconds later crawled up, sat properly on the bed, straightened her clothes and hair, and glared at Lin Wanbai. "Whose side are you working for now?"

"None of your business." Lin Wanbai smoothed her clothes, adjusted her tie, and wanting nothing more to do with her, prepared to leave.

Just as she reached the door, someone suddenly knocked on it.

Lin Wanbai was startled and turned to look at Lin Yao.

Clearly, Lin Yao was also taken aback; she jumped off the bed and mouthed silently, "Who is it?"

Lin Wanbai peeked through the peephole—there was no one outside, but the knocking continued.

Lin Yao: "Who is it?"

The person outside didn't answer, but the doorknob turned, and accompanied by a beep, the door unlocked.

Fortunately, Lin Yao's reaction was quick enough; she rushed over and held the door in place.

Lin Wanbai darted behind the curtains at top speed. Glancing outward, she saw they weren't very high up. She pushed the window open, didn't hesitate to climb out, stepped onto the air conditioner unit, and crawled over to a small protruding ledge that offered barely enough space for a foothold.

Holding onto the exterior unit with both hands, she looked down at the bustling street below. Lin Wanbai almost wanted to laugh out loud—as a woman, hiding stealthily outside a window like a partner in an affair was truly a rare experience in life.

Inside the room, Lei Ting's subordinates had already forced their way in, scanning the entire space without a word.

Lin Yao stood to the side in silence, watching them with cold eyes.

The room wasn't large, and everything was visible at a glance; was such an exaggeration necessary? She sneered inwardly, yet felt a lingering fear, realizing how tightly Lei Ting monitored her since agents were apparently still keeping watch on her even in Haicheng.

She had assumed that since he was overwhelmed with his own troubles lately, he wouldn't have the time to mind her.

Drawing a quiet breath, she folded her arms, maintained a calm and composed demeanor, and asked, "Well? Have you searched enough? Did you find anything?"

The two men didn't answer, merely turning their heads to glance at her in unison before searching once more and casually walking out of the room, acting utterly bizarre.

Just as Lin Yao was about to speak, she heard the two men call out in unison, "Boss Lei."

Hearing this, Lin Yao's heart tightened and instantly plummeted to the bottom of her stomach. A hollow, sinking sensation rose from the soles of her feet, spreading through her entire body until her legs turned weak. Her previously hazy mind became completely clear in that instant, as if a basin of cold water had been dumped over her head—sober as she had never been before.

The next second, Lei Ting genuinely appeared before her eyes, as surreal as a dream.

Of course, even if it were a dream, it was a nightmare. Indeed, you shouldn't speak of the devil; speak of Cao Cao and he arrives.

Their gazes locked, and Lin Yao swallowed involuntarily.

Lei Ting walked straight in. "Close the door."

Lin Yao murmured an assent and slowly shut the door.

Her palms began to sweat coldly, and her teeth chattered. Several seconds after closing the door, she turned around, took a deep breath, put on a standard smile, and walked over. "Why are you here? You didn't give me a heads-up before coming."

Lei Ting scanned the room. "This room is certainly interesting." His gaze fixed, he turned his head sideways, his eyes landing on her face with a slight smile. "I wouldn't have guessed you were into this sort of thing."

Forcing composure, Lin Yao pressed her lips together, ultimately unable to utter a single word.

What could she say? Anything she said would be wrong.

Lei Ting bent down to sit on the bed, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, plucked one out to put between his lips, but patted his pocket in vain for a lighter.

Coincidentally, Lin Yao had one; she immediately stepped forward to light it for him.

Lei Ting paused, glancing first at the lighter in her hand and then up at her.

His gaze was as cold as if he meant to devour her. Lin Yao steadily held the lighter to ignite his cigarette, then straightened up, kept silent, dropped her smile, and simply stood there, awaiting his sentence.

Lei Ting didn't smoke the cigarette; he merely stared at her coldly and reached out a hand. "Give me your hand."

Swallowing hard, Lin Yao obediently placed her hand in his. Lei Ting flipped her hand over, laying her palm flat, and looked at her slender, fair hand with a smile. "How have the years you've spent following me treated you?"

"Very well. Any achievements I have today are entirely thanks to you, Boss Lei. Without you, I wouldn't be who I am now. You are my benefactor; as long as Boss Lei doesn't cast me aside, I am Boss Lei's person for the rest of my life, willing to toil as a beast of burden for whatever is asked of me."

"Toil as a beast of burden—what a fine expression of loyalty." The next second, Lei Ting viciously ground the lit cigarette butt right into the center of her palm! "So this is how you toil as a beast of burden for me! Am I failing to satisfy you, or do you feel my current situation is turning sour, so you're starting to look for an alternative?! Huh?!"

Lin Yao let out a single groan, clenching her other hand tightly into a fist, biting her teeth down so hard not a single sound escaped. A smell of burning flesh drifted into the air; the pain was agonizing, scorching hot, but she clamped her teeth together and endured it entirely.

Lei Ting hadn't finished yet. Staring her down, he demanded, "Where is that man?"

Lin Yao closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "I've already chased him away. I was just drunk and momentarily muddle-headed; the moment I reached the room and sobered up, I sent him away." Tears welled up in her eyes, and she dropped swiftly to her knees, grasping the back of Lei Ting's hand as she looked up at him with sincere earnestness. "I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry. I know I was wrong this time, I was willful. I just... I just felt a bit pressured, and since I have to dance the Dying Swan tomorrow, I was a bit nervous and wanted to come out for a drink to relax."

"Boss Lei, I was wrong. Please give me a chance, one last chance. If there's ever a next time, you won't even need to say a word—I'll atone for it with my death!"

Her tears fell right on cue, flowing unstoppably, making her look genuinely repentant.

But Lei Ting wasn't buying it. Lately, he suspected there was a traitor within his gang, but lacked the evidence to make an arrest.

Every man by his side was a brother who had lived and died with him through thick and thin, making this woman before him the most suspicious of all.

After all, she used to be Fu Chuuxing's woman.

Instead of dissipating, Lei Ting's anger flared even higher. He sprang up abruptly, clamped his hand around her neck, and hoisted her straight into the air. "Where is he!"

His grip was immensely powerful; Lin Yao experienced oxygen deprivation within a fraction of a second, black spots dancing before her eyes until she could no longer see or hear clearly, reduced to unconscious, desperate resistance as her hands clawed fiercely at his arm. "Save... save me..."

She managed to squeeze the words out through the gaps between her breath, audible only to Lei Ting.

Watching from outside the window, Lin Wanbai had been following the scene closely. Without much thought, she threw the window open, leaped inside, and yelled, "Let her go!"

Lin Wanbai lunged straight forward, grabbing an ashtray as she went.

Naturally, her half-baked combat skills were no match for Lei Ting; she was subdued within two moves.

Lin Yao was tossed to the floor, gasping for air as she clutched her neck, taking a long time to recover before casting a look toward Lin Wanbai, wanting to say something but unable to utter a sound.

Pinned down, Lin Wanbai recalled the cicada-shell escape technique Ji Jie had specifically taught her—no matter how one was restrained by an opponent, it allowed for an escape. Having practiced this trick until she could execute it blindly, she quickly seized an opportunity, twisted her body, and delivered a kick straight toward Lei Ting's groin. Though Lei Ting reacted in time to block it, Lin Wanbai retracted her foot halfway, leaped back a couple of steps to put a safe distance between them, and successfully freed herself.

Massaging her arm, she declared, "Nothing happened between Miss Lin and me; we're just friends. The person I like is her older sister, Lin Wanbai. I deliberately approached her just to get close to Lin Wanbai, and I have no other intentions whatsoever."

Lei Ting narrowed his eyes, running his gaze over her face for a moment before the corners of his mouth turned downward.

He was young, but his build was way too small—sissy-like—yet he actually liked this kind of man. Lei Ting felt deeply displeased. With his temper flaring, he wasted no more words and threw a punch straight at her.

Lin Wanbai dodged, though not entirely; the blow landed heavily on her shoulder.

She could practically hear the sound of her own bone cracking. *Damn it, what kind of punch was that?! Was he trying to beat her to death?!*

Knowing she couldn't win, she bolted for the door. "Boss, I surrender! I promise I will never lay eyes on Miss Lin again, and I'll remember this punch! A boss's woman isn't someone to mess with, I was wrong! Goodbye!"

With that, she turned to flee, but Lei Ting grabbed her by the hair.

Yanking her back, Lin Wanbai had to endure the pain and trade blows with him once more.

After three exchanges, she reached her limit.

Her eye took a blow as well, causing her vision to swim with stars.

Just as she felt she was about to take a severe beating, the door was kicked open with a loud crash. Two masked individuals charged inside; one went straight for Lei Ting, while the other propped Lin Wanbai up and rapidly whisked her out of the room.

The newcomers didn't linger for a prolonged fight; after knocking Lei Ting down, they evacuated swiftly.

Lei Ting rushed to the doorway only to find all his men sprawled on the floor, unconscious. He frowned; the man clearly had powerful backing.

Turning his gaze back to Lin Yao inside the room, his look grew even colder. "You wait right here."

Lin Yao's heart leaped to her throat, too terrified to even breathe deeply.

Carried out to the car and deposited in a seat, Lin Wanbai felt as though her entire body had fallen apart, aching terribly.

Ji Jie removed her mask and chided, "Have you got a death wish? Why go provoking Lei Ting? Wouldn't it have been better to stay hidden? You just had to play the hero when you haven't got the slightest idea of your own limits!"

Lin Wanbai couldn't move one of her arms, winced, and muttered, "I acted on impulse. I regretted it the moment I went inside, but since regret was useless, I just had to bite the bullet and push through."

Ye Qiu chuckled, "Xiao Bai possesses a chivalrous heart. Once your martial arts skills improve, you can go save the world."

Lin Wanbai cast her a sidelong glance. "Hmph, as if I couldn't tell you were mocking me."

"Next time, we can't let you go out on your own. You've gotten yourself into this state, and we're flying back tomorrow—how am I supposed to explain this to Mr. Fu?"

"It's fine, I'll take responsibility for it myself."

She rubbed her eye, which hurt too much to keep open.

The next day, wearing a hat and mask, Lin Wanbai boarded the plane alongside Ye Qiu and the others.

Upon arriving in Macau, they headed straight to the hillside villa.

Seeing the deep panda eye on her face, Fu延川 frowned involuntarily. "What happened?"

"Got into a fight."

"You actually got into a fight?" His brows drew tighter. "What were you fighting about?"

She pressed her lips together and ultimately confessed the truth. "I was impulsive. There won't a second time."

"As if you'd dare have a second time!"

Lowering her head, she obediently accepted the scolding.

Looking displeased, Fu Yan chuan glared at her eye. "Have you been to the hospital?"

She shook her head. "We were in a rush to get back, so I haven't yet."

"Aside from your eye, are you injured anywhere else?"

"My arm. It feels like it's dislocated."

"Your arm is dislocated and you didn't go to the hospital? Doesn't it hurt?"

Lin Wanbai licked her lips. "It hurts." *It hurts like hell, alright?*

"To the hospital, right now, immediately. Ye Qiu, go with her."

"Yes."

Shortly after, the two left the villa and headed straight to the hospital.

Checking into the emergency department, Lin Wanbai first had an X-ray taken. There was no fracture—merely a dislocation that required manual reduction without needing a cast, along with some prescribed medication.

Since she was already at the hospital, Lin Wanbai wanted to check on something else. She had been meaning to find time to examine her brain; since she had amnesia, it likely had something to do with her head. Could there be some residual blood clot or something pressing on it that caused the memory loss?

"Doctor, can amnesia be cured?"

The doctor looked at her. "How did the amnesia happen?"

"I probably lost my memory from falling off a building."

"Where is your family?"

"I don't have family. Can you scan my brain to see if there's anything wrong with it?"

The doctor gave a slight chuckle and nodded. "Alright, let's run a CT scan to check."

The doctor wrote out a slip, and Lin Wanbai paid the fee before joining the queue for the scan.

Accompanying her, Ye Qiu said, "Amnesia isn't something you can rush. Take it slow, and you'll remember eventually."

Lin Wanbai nodded.

Once the scan was complete, she handed the results to the doctor. "How is it? Is there anything wrong with my brain?"

The doctor smiled. "No problems at all, completely fine. What did your original doctor tell you?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know anything?"

She shook her head.

"The human brain is complex. It's not impossible for your head to have suffered an impact, but as for recovery, it depends entirely on you."

The result yielded no answers. It seemed her amnesia wasn't caused by nerve compression, and the hospital couldn't help her recover.

Donning her hat and mask, she thanked the doctor. As she walked toward the emergency lobby, an ambulance pulled up right at the entrance, and she stepped aside to clear the way. An emergency doctor and nurse hurried out. Peeking through her mask with just her eyes, she saw a small child being carried out from the vehicle, their clothes stained with a good deal of blood.

Seeing such a tiny child made Lin Wanbai's heart ache. Moments later, the doctors and nurses wheeled a gurney past her; the child lay upon it with closed eyes, whimpering through a grimace. Though not screaming loudly, the child looked quite brave.

Lin Wanbai watched as a strange sense of familiarity washed over her, and she subconsciously took a few steps after them.

Ye Qiu grabbed her arm firmly. "What are you doing?"

Lin Wanbai snapped back to her senses. "Oh, nothing. I just saw that child and wanted to see what happened."

"Why are you looking into other people's business?"

"Right, let's go."

Not long after the two of them left, a Mercedes drove up and parked at the entrance. Fu Chuuxing stepped out leaning on a cane, his face taut and exceptionally gloomy. Xu Chuan followed closely behind, trembling with anxiety and not daring to utter a word.

Entering the lobby, Ye Ning stood outside the emergency room with her hands covering her mouth, silently shedding tears. Upon seeing Fu Chuuxing arrive, she hurried over and stammered repeatedly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's my fault for not watching Xiaobao properly, I'm so sorry!"

Fu Chuuxing shot her a glacial glare, biting out a few words from between his clenched teeth. "Is 'sorry' of any use?"

Ye Ning trembled all over and didn't dare say another word.

Xu Chuan didn't know what to say either. Truth be told, the child had simply been a bit mischievous, knocking over a vase, and before Ye Ning could clean up the floor, he had tumbled right onto the shattered glass—a truly unearned disaster.

Yet, when all was said and forth, it was still the adults' fault.

Fu Chuuxing stated, "If anything happens to him, dying ten thousand times won't be enough for the lot of you."

At that moment, a doctor emerged and called out Xiaobao's name. Xu Chuan hurried over to handle the registration and payment as instructed.

As Xu Chuan ran hurriedly toward the registration desk, he crashed head-on into someone and knocked them down.

Lin Wanbai had only remembered halfway out that she had forgotten to pick up her medication, so she told Ye Qiu to go fetch the car while she returned for it.

She had been walking briskly, and Xu Chuan had been moving like a headless fly, resulting in a full-body collision.

Having already injured her arm, she took the brunt of the impact right against that wounded limb, knocking her flat on her back.

Her hat flew off in the process. Grimacing in agony, a surge of anger flared up within her. "Are you blind?!"