The next morning, while the sky was still pitch black, You Mingxu woke up. She could hear the sound of running water coming from Luo Yu's master bedroom.
After finishing her morning routine, she glanced at the nail polish on her fingers—something she normally never wore. After a moment's thought, she dug out her makeup bag, applied light makeup, and put on the necklace Luo Yu had given her.
The necklace had already been examined by Jing Ping and his team—it was just an ordinary necklace with nothing suspicious about it.
This way, the nail polish on her hands wouldn't stand out at all.
As You Mingxu stepped out of the bathroom, Luo Yu also emerged carrying a travel bag. Seeing her, he paused for a moment, his gaze lingering on the necklace before he smiled meaningfully.
Having dealt with psychologically disturbed individuals frequently over the past year, You Mingxu could detect a twisted undertone in Luo Yu's smile—in his eyes, wearing his necklace was like being branded as his possession.
It was no different from when Yin Feng had suddenly torn open her collar last night and left a harsh mark on her shoulder—though she had ended up grabbing him by the neck and throwing him aside.
Everyone thought too highly of themselves.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Luo Yu went to answer it, and a few of his underlings came to pick them up. Luo Yu handed them his travel bag, while You Mingxu returned to the bedroom to get her luggage. Luo Yu followed her inside.
"Don't bring that," Luo Yu said. "Just take a few changes of clothes and put them in my bag. Anything else you bring will be torn open and inspected by them. Think carefully."
You Mingxu's hand stilled. The tracking devices and listening equipment installed by the police were almost all hidden in her luggage.
Should she take the risk?
She suddenly remembered the meal she had shared with Luo Yu, when he had immediately noticed something unusual about her watch. For some reason, You Mingxu had a premonition that if she brought anything suspicious along, it would likely be discovered. And if that happened, this trip would be over before it began.
After a moment's hesitation, she made her decision and only took out her change of clothes. Luo Yu took them, carefully inspected each piece, and then carried them away.
They drove straight to the designated meeting point.
It was near a highway entrance. You Mingxu knew they were planning to throw the police off their trail—they would show themselves openly at first, boldly taking the highway, but they must have arranged to change routes midway.
Several vehicles were parked in the wild grass by the roadside. The sky was still dark, shrouded in deep blue. A few men leaned against the cars, smoking. You Mingxu recognized Huang Long and Guo Feirong. However, the Xing father and son were nowhere to be seen. If they were involved, the police would have been overjoyed. Unfortunately, they had been very cautious in recent years.
Luo Yu said, "Stay here and don't move."
You Mingxu remained in the car.
Luo Yu got out and walked over to them. Huang Long glanced at him, then at the car behind him, and his expression darkened. "Why did you bring her?"
Guo Feirong also frowned deeply.
Luo Yu said, "She doesn't know anything important, and I'll keep her away from sensitive matters. She's completely devoted to me now, don't worry."
Huang Long sneered and lowered his voice. "Bringing a cop? Are you out of your mind? Get her out of here now!"
Luo Yu remained completely unruffled, lit a cigarette, and said, "Who's in charge of this trip? As I recall, the boss said it's me, and both of you are to follow my lead. Who I bring or don't bring is my decision."
Huang Long was furious. He said coldly, "I don't believe the boss would let you mess around like this. Don't you dare get us all killed by this policewoman!" With that, he pulled out his phone and called Xing Jifu.
Luo Yu continued smoking leisurely, letting him make the call.After exchanging a few words with Huang Long, Xing Jifu handed the phone to Luo Yu, grinning with schadenfreude. "The boss wants to talk."
Luo Yu took the call and stepped aside. "Boss."
"Send her back." Xing Jifu's voice was low, betraying little emotion.
Luo Yu replied, "I want to bring her along. I know what I'm doing." He looked up at the overcast sky. "Boss, you're the one who said it—either soar higher than her, or clip her wings so she can't fly away. I used the intel she leaked to the police for our western route. Everything is under my control; she won't mess things up for us. She's still useful later. After this trip, I'll make sure she can't go back, can't fly away."
Xing Jifu was silent for a long moment before saying, "Luo Yu, you've known her true identity all along, haven't you?"
After a brief pause, Luo Yu answered, "Not at first. We were together for a while, and I looked into her background. I found out her biological father was unknown and that her mother had investigated our Kaiyang Group back in the day, which made me suspicious. As we spent more time together, I noticed how much her personality and looks resemble yours. When you two met for the first time and stood side by side, I was sure."
Xing Jifu said, "Then you really shouldn't bring her."
Luo Yu countered, "Boss, have you considered that the police are digging into us, and sooner or later, they'll uncover the truth? Once her identity is exposed, will the police tolerate her? She'll have nowhere to go, and she'll turn against you, resent you. Let me handle this for you. I'll find a way to implicate her in our business so she can't escape. She's your daughter—she should be on your side. Boss, let me try. I truly love her; I can't let her go. If I mess this up, you can just put a bullet in my head. But I won't let her go."
His last few words were somewhat audacious, but to his surprise, after a short silence, Xing Jifu actually laughed. "If I'd been as ruthless as you back in the day, she would have grown up by my side, not as an orphan. Fine, I'll give you this chance. If anything goes wrong, I'll take your life. Give the phone to Huang Long."
Luo Yu tossed the phone to Huang Long and turned to look at You Mingxu in the car. She was staring back at him intently. Luo Yu smiled, a hint of triumph in his expression, and mouthed the words, "You're mine."
You Mingxu understood and coldly turned her head away.
Later, just as Luo Yu had said, everyone's luggage was thoroughly inspected, even requiring them to remove their jackets, shoes, and socks. These criminals were wealthy, clever, and highly organized, equipped with handheld detection devices. Every item on each person was meticulously searched, felt over, and scanned. You Mingxu's phone was confiscated; only Luo Yu, Huang Long, and a few other key figures were allowed to keep theirs.
The convoy finally set off. You Mingxu was still in the same car as Luo Yu, with two of his trusted subordinates in the front seats. She sat with her legs crossed, hands resting on her knees, glancing at her nails, which gleamed faintly in the dim light.After all, it was a very small piece with only tracking functionality. At this moment, Yin Feng, accompanied by his own team and Jing Ping's group, followed from several kilometers away in a convoy. Yin Feng had already informed Xu Mengshan about the fingernail tracker, so all monitoring devices in the vehicles now displayed You Mingxu's movement trajectory. Everything appeared normal so far.
Everyone had risen too early, and Luo Yu hadn't bothered You Mingxu either, keeping his eyes closed for a light nap. You Mingxu didn't dare sleep too deeply, drifting in and out of drowsiness while conserving her energy.
After about two hours of driving, they reached the border of Hunan province. The convoy exited the highway and entered a town. The sky was fully bright now, with bustling crowds and heavy traffic in the streets. The convoy moved very slowly. You Mingxu had long been awake, appearing listless on the surface but actually maintaining high alertness, closely observing everything around her.
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