Qiao Ximin had not held back, and Mr. Liu did not see a need to continue his courteous front. He turned and sat down on the sofa across from Qiao Ximin.

“You worry too much, Miss Qiao. It was only me and my camera, and I caught these images by sheer chance. I had no idea you were at the hotel that night too. I just thought that it was rather unfair that all of the attention had been focused on you. This woman is a daughter of the Su family, and with these pictures you can divert some attention away from you.”

“A daughter of the Su family?” Qiao Ximin scoffed. “She’s just a bloodsucker the mistress brought with her.”

“Ah, in that case, if Miss Qiao is not interested in the pictures, then I will…”

“Wait! I didn’t say I wasn’t interested. I want both the pictures and the recording, so name your price.”

“You are as efficient as they say you are, Miss Qiao.”

The price was negotiated, and Mr. Liu verified the transaction on his personal computer. He took out a film roll and a USB drive from his pocket and passed the items to Qiao Ximin. He kept a calm and polite composure as Qiao Ximin verified the pictures.

Mr. Liu emerged from the Qiao family home once the deal had been settled. He squeezed himself past the mass of media and paparazzi who were gathered outside the house and headed toward a black car that was parked not too far away from the estate.

He reached out and gave the window a knock. The car door opened, and Mr. Liu entered the car quickly.

“It’s all been settled, Young Master.”

Chen Yichen looked up from the newspaper he was reading and slightly nodded his head. “Great,” he responded. “You should get back to your work now. No more need to worry about this.”

“Got it!” Mr. Liu exited the car. He entered a smaller vehicle that was parked nearby.

At the same time that the reporter had left, Chen Yichen’s personal assistant had gotten off the phone. The man gingerly turned from his position on the passenger seat, his expression unhappy as he broke some news to Chen Yichen.

“Director, we just got some news about Miss Yun…”

“What’s wrong?” Chen Yichen’s head snapped upward. His assistant hesitated, and Chen Yichen felt impatience grip him. “Well, what?”

“She’s…she’s in country F!”

“What?” Chen Yichen felt as if he could jump right out of his seat. His forehead began to hurt as his frustrations overwhelmed him. How could he sit and read the news when Yun Xi had left for country F? With a groan, Chen Yichen threw the papers to the side.

“Drive! Contact Jie Sen right away. I need to know every bit of intel about what is happening in country F right now. Also…”

Suddenly having a moment of composure, Chen Yichen stopped and pondered about what he had wanted to say. He resolved to simply wave his hand as he continued, “Never mind, that’s all!”

His personal assistant heaved a sigh of relief as he watched his superior, who seemed to be trying to quell the worry in his heart by holding his cool. He turned and instructed the driver to go.

The whole world knew that country F was where the most gruesome war was currently being fought, yet Yun Xi had entered the battlefield with not a single care. She must have been worried about what might have happened to Mu Feichi.

It was necessary that the Young Commander of Jun Country must make sacrifices and take on responsibilities, but Yun Xi’s decision to enter country F had only made the battlefield more dangerous for everyone involved.

For Chen Yichen, the only thing he could do was worry. His worry made his frustrations worse. He was worried for Yun Xi, and he was frustrated that there was nothing he could do to help, and frustrated he had not stopped Yun Xi from making this foolish decision.

…

The sound of a bullet ripped through the cold and barren highlands. Fenghuang Cheng had easily taken out the man in the passenger seat with one shot. The truck screeched as the driver pulled to a stop to assess the situation.

Sensing that there were dangers all around them, the driver emerged from the truck armed and accompanied by two other members of the army of country F.

There were only four individuals in the vehicle. Two remained after the attack, but they were nothing that Lie Huo and Ge Xu could not handle.

They needed to keep the driver alive as he was the means of transporting them into the town. The two apprehended the driver quickly, after eliminating the other soldiers.

In the presence of these two super soldiers, the driver could not help but tremble in fear. In order to prevent any mutiny from the driver, Lie Huo issued the man a few warnings in English before they pushed him back into the seat.

The hijacked truck pulled up to the designated meeting spot within a few minutes. In the flying dust of the highlands, Fenghuang Niao was waiting for the truck with the rest of the soldiers and Yun Xi by her side. She glanced over at Yun Xi, who had seemed determined as ever to join them on this mission, and sighed. “Boss,” she said as she turned to Mu Feichi, “you should probably take this one with you. If anything happens to you, she will try to sneak over on her own. That would be more dangerous than taking her with you.”