Since six years ago, Luo Yu had been wondering: What was Xing Jifu's weakness?
Back then, he was just a "black-hearted lawyer" beginning to make a name for himself in the legal world, having just won a difficult lawsuit for a wealthy man accused of intentional assault, which earned him much criticism. Of course, this case had been secretly arranged by the police.
It was also through this wealthy man that Luo Yu connected with the Kaiyang Group. He had met Huang Long but had yet to meet Xing Jifu in person.
At that time, Xing Jifu was like an aloof emperor, while Luo Yu was merely a novice assassin, hiding a dagger in his chest, remaining calm and composed.
When his superiors selected Luo Yu to be an undercover agent, navigating between the lawful and unlawful sides of Xiangcheng, it was because they recognized his exceptionally sharp insight and ruthlessness, which set him apart from other police officers. However, his superiors also had concerns, telling him: "Extreme rigidity breaks easily, extreme wisdom invites harm. May you never forget the oath you took when joining the police force and always stand on the side of the people."
He nodded and said, "Okay," then smiled and added, "Boss, I know people's hearts are hard to predict, but you can trust me."
Not long after becoming the legal representative of the Kaiyang Group, Luo Yu sensed that Xing Jifu had a hidden story—his wife lived abroad year-round. Although he would take the Heir abroad to visit her during holidays, he almost never mentioned her voluntarily, which was completely different from the public image of a deeply devoted couple. He also never got involved with other women. Once, a business partner brought a minor celebrity to curry favor with him, but he calmly declined. That day, several high-ranking executives of the group had drunk too much, and one of them slipped up, saying, "I heard our chairman had a woman he loved deeply many years ago, but she died..." He was cut off after just two sentences.
Thus, Luo Yu realized that this was not some deeply buried secret but rather Xing Jifu's taboo. So he secretly used the police's internal resources to investigate, and the results left him utterly shocked—
A female police officer who had died in the line of duty many years ago had once had a deeply concealed relationship with Xing Jifu, who was then the underworld's Crown Prince. They had even had a daughter together. Whether Xing Jifu knew of this daughter's existence remained unknown.
And this daughter, following in her mother's footsteps, was now also working in the police system and was an exceptionally outstanding officer.
Generally speaking, such a situation would never have been allowed.
Luo Yu understood that the events of those years were also a painful secret the police were unwilling to mention.
From the beginning, Luo Yu's approach to You Mingxu was driven by his intention to use her to advance his position. He didn't believe that someone as shrewd as Xing Jifu would be unaware of this daughter's existence. It was just that... he couldn't acknowledge her.
Originally, such a shameful act, akin to "selling himself," was something Luo Yu undertook on his own without informing his boss. It was humiliating, but Luo Yu didn't care. Even if Xing Jifu's daughter had been an extreme case—fat, ugly, and foolish—he was prepared to endure the humiliation and feign deep affection.
But when he got the file and saw the photo of a strikingly beautiful and slender girl, Luo Yu's heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, he felt as if he had hit the jackpot.
Later, he told You Mingxu that the time they spent together after their blind date was the happiest period of his life in recent years. He truly wasn't lying to her.During that period, he truly had no burdens. Though harboring ulterior motives, he pursued an ordinary woman like any ordinary man would. Completely and utterly, he became himself again. He drove her to and from work, sent her flowers, and took her out to eat. The feeling of executing these clichéd, old-fashioned tactics one by one wasn’t all that bad. You Mingxu was an exceptionally proud and independent woman—clearly pure and clean, yet her eyes brimmed with charm. Only after pursuing her did he realize she was quite different from any woman he had encountered before.
She was like an eagle, single-mindedly focused on spreading her wings and soaring, living with integrity and transparency.
She was truly nothing like him.
Although You Mingxu’s feelings for him didn’t seem particularly intense—hesitant and unwilling to easily give her heart—Luo Yu, in the midst of pursuing her, grew increasingly determined, unwilling to let go. He thought to himself that his identity was something he couldn’t reveal to her for years. But if he truly won her over and developed feelings, once his mission was completed and he revealed his identity, she, being a fellow police officer, would surely understand.
Sometimes, he even wondered if fate was helping him by making her a police officer as well.
Little did he know, fate wasn’t helping him—it was toying with him!
Not long after, before he could even formally establish a relationship with her, You Mingxu had thoroughly uncovered his background and mercilessly laid it all out before him.
He had assumed that, out of consideration for their shared affection, she would hesitate and struggle at least a little. But he had no idea she was an even more resolute people’s police officer than he was. She made it clear that there was no possibility between them and decisively cut ties.
That night, Luo Yu sat alone at home for a long time, drank heavily, and finally sent her a text message:
"You never really liked me, did you?"
She didn’t reply.
And from then on, there was never a reply.
That was also the first time Luo Yu hated his identity as an undercover agent. He hated that he couldn’t say anything, could only watch as they went their separate ways.
However, by the next morning, Luo Yu had "returned to his true nature." He showed no signs of being disheartened. Instead, he began to frequently harass You Mingxu, openly displaying his arrogant and malicious side in front of her.
First, he was ultimately angry—angry at her cold-heartedness and ruthlessness. Since she had made him so unhappy, he would make sure to cause her some trouble too!
Second, even though You Mingxu couldn’t possibly accept him now, she still hadn’t reunited with Xing Jifu. Being associated with her and stirring up rumors would do no harm. If, in the future, he truly ended up by Xing Jifu’s side and needed to exploit You Mingxu’s identity, he would have a pretext. What if he could even command her cooperation through his superiors? The mere thought of such a possibility suddenly made Luo Yu feel much better. He had a feeling that You Mingxu’s departure these days was only temporary.
In the future, when the day came that he could reveal his identity, she would understand. She would come back.
But he never expected that once she left, she would never return.
There was someone else by her side.
A fool, a once-great writer who now couldn’t even speak clearly, foolishly clinging to You Mingxu all day long.
When Luo Yu first noticed Yin Feng, he merely frowned, dismissing him as a joke—how could a woman as proud as You Mingxu possibly fall for someone with an intellectual disability?
But he still went to test the waters.
In truth, Luo Yu didn’t realize that, deep down, he himself felt somewhat aggrieved at the time.During that period, he had done countless deeds, his hands stained with blood—some of which defied clear distinction between right and wrong. Sometimes he would jolt awake in the middle of the night, his mind utterly blank, and then lie sleepless till dawn. It was an intensely lonely feeling, as if the entire world had shrunk to just him sitting alone in the void. At any moment, he thought, he might be discovered and end up shot dead in the streets. Yet the results he achieved were staggering—Xing Jifu had begun to regard him with genuine esteem.
But by then, the police ex-girlfriend who had dumped him already had someone new by her side.
OpenNovel