Chapter 57 Trouble Befalls My Sister-in-law

The final year was a tranquil one. After all, Chen Hongxu was not Conan—wherever he went, death did not follow in his wake. Campus life, beyond the submission of his application as a special admissions student and the added excuse of daily runs on the athletic field, remained largely unchanged. The classmates who had once looked down on him now regarded him with deep respect. Even in high school, there was a sort of underworld; certain self-styled tough guys, upon learning that the spineless man they’d seen at the school gates was now the dominant figure in HJ City's underground, spread the word. Their bravado even extended to bullying students from other schools with renewed confidence once outside the campus.

Naturally, Chen Hongxu had no interest in forming brotherly bonds with them, and they dared not overstep their bounds. Their rank was simply too low. Still, when chatting with others, a casual mention—“I’m classmates with Brother Chen, believe it or not!”—was enough. There was no need to elaborate; people would fill in the rest for themselves.

As for Xiao Fei, she fulfilled Chen Hongxu’s prediction and fell victim to a man. A month after Hu Tianmiao left school, she discovered she was pregnant. Unable to accept the truth, though she did not lose her mind, she was deeply shaken. She was never seen at school again, reportedly taking a leave of absence to recover, with plans to transfer elsewhere.

It was a year of peace and sentiment. Chen Hongxu’s relationship with Xue Xi remained unchanged in any substantial way. On the bed Xue Xi had long neglected, two dolls, modeled after the pair, still lay side by side, just as they had on the first night she slept beside him.

It was the eighth day after returning from the Xue family’s New Year celebrations. Xue Xi tightened her grip, pinching Chen Hongxu’s arm, her head nestled against his chest as she drooled in her sleep, lost in some sweet dream.

The phone rang. Xue Xi, groggy, opened her eyes and slapped Chen Hongxu in annoyance before fishing out her phone to answer. She was famously grumpy in the mornings, and with nothing else nearby to vent her frustration on, Chen Hongxu—tough as leather—was her only target.

“Speak if you have something to say. If not, you’re dead!” Xue Xi grumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

On the other end, a man’s excited shout came through: “There’s news on what you asked me to find out. I think we need to meet—the situation isn’t quite as you predicted!”

Xue Xi’s sleepy eyes cleared instantly. She responded with a brief acknowledgment, hung up, rolled over on top of Chen Hongxu, gave him a quick kiss, and said, “I need to go out today. You’ll have to sort out lunch yourself.”

With that, she leapt out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. Her back to Chen Hongxu, her expression was frosty as she muttered to herself, “No one gets away with hurting my man—not in the future, not in the past!”

Watching her go, Chen Hongxu flexed his arm—just a casual movement. Unlike those pretentious guys who boasted of numb arms after sleeping with their girlfriends, he felt nothing of the sort.

He was puzzled; his sensitivity to energy was acute, and the chill Xue Xi radiated when she took the call and leapt from bed could not escape his notice.

“Bing Ling, send some people to protect Xue Xi. I’m worried she might get into trouble.”

“Alright!” Bing Ling set down her wine glass and said to the two men sitting opposite, “Looks like the lady might be in trouble. Brother Chen wants you to send some people to follow her.”

One of the men, brash and domineering, bared his teeth. “Her trouble is my trouble. You two keep drinking—I’ll go handle it!” He didn’t care how messages passed between Chen Hongxu and Bing Ling. All that mattered was that Brother Chen’s orders must be carried out, no exceptions.

“Remember, keep it discreet. Don’t make a big scene, or Brother Chen won’t be pleased!” Bing Ling called after him as he was about to leave.

“Got it!” The man didn’t look back, just waved and headed out.

The other man, sitting across from Bing Ling, adjusted the brim of his baseball cap and said coolly, “Taozi’s men might not be up to it. Should I go too?”

Bing Ling recalled Chen Hongxu’s earlier tone—it wasn’t urgent. She shook her head. “If you go too, who’ll drink with me? Come on, let’s keep drinking.”

Liu Yixian looked pained. Truthfully, he’d rather be out fighting than drinking with this woman who had suddenly appeared as Chen Hongxu’s ‘sister’—she was a bottomless pit.

It was true that Bing Ling had her own agenda in encouraging Chen Hongxu to bring Li Tao under his wing. She’d watched too many gangster movies and fancied herself uniting the underworld. Now, with Li Tao enjoying the double protection of Police Chief Wang and the newly appointed party secretary, he was thriving. Wang feared Chen Hongxu, while the new secretary respected the Xue family. On his first day, Xue Baishu had immediately invested in the long-stalled Trade and Commerce City, lending the new secretary significant support. He also had an inkling as to why his predecessor had been transferred and wasn’t about to rashly challenge Li Tao.

Most importantly, Li Tao was astute, knowing what lines could not be crossed. After unifying the underworld, Bing Ling made her appearance. Initially, she tried to play the role of “boss’s wife,” but faced with Xue Xi’s ferocious glare, she was forced to settle for “big sister.”

Once she started hanging out with Li Tao’s crew, Bing Ling rarely returned home, spending her days drinking in bars. Li Tao’s men, aware of her background, kept their distance, while outsiders who made advances quickly learned their lesson. After Liu Yixian put a few in their place, Bing Ling’s reputation as the “Black Widow” spread far and wide.

With Brother Chen’s orders and trouble brewing for the lady, Li Tao, now the voice of HJ City’s underworld, issued commands. All those who dreamed of making their mark and earning Brother Chen’s favor mobilized. Li Tao’s rise had become a textbook for local gangsters, many believing they could do as well or better—if only they’d met Brother Chen sooner.

Xue Xi called no one—not even her own family’s bodyguards. Wearing oversized sunglasses and an icy expression, she stepped out of an ordinary taxi and strode toward a café.

After she got out, the driver picked up his radio. “Unit One, this is Three-Two-Nine. The lady has entered a café. Send someone to follow.”

“Unit One, copy. Three-Two-Nine, activate the tracker and pull over. Backup is on the way!”

The driver put down the radio, parked calmly, and exchanged nods with several men waiting by the curb. Together, their eyes followed Xue Xi as she sat by the window, speaking with a man.

The group huddled together, whispering:

“What’s going on with the lady? That guy looks disgusting.”

“Yeah, and what’s that stack of papers he just handed her?”

“Damn, you don’t think someone snapped some dirty pictures of her and Brother Chen, do you? Cameras are everywhere these days.”

“Blackmail? Could be. The lady looks furious…”

“Let’s wait for backup. Sure, we could take care of that guy in no time, but snatching him in broad daylight wouldn’t be wise. Here’s the plan…”

And so the chapter came to a close.