Chapter 38: Sooner or Later, I'll Castrate You

“Huh... is someone cooking at home?” Ye Chen walked in, puzzled.

“You’re back?” Zhang Yantong emerged from the kitchen holding a plate of stir-fried pork with hot peppers, an apron tied around her waist—an apron Ye Chen had never worn himself. Back when he’d ambitiously prepared all the cookware, he’d soon discovered he had no talent for cooking. Helpless, he let the utensils gather dust, never expecting they would finally be put to use today.

Zhang Yantong had her chestnut hair pinned up high, her slender white neck smooth as jade. With two elegant fingers, she picked up a piece of meat and popped it into her mouth, grinning. “Today, you get to taste my cooking. Think of it as payment for letting me sleep at your place all morning.”

“Well then, you’d better come sleep at my place every day!” Ye Chen chuckled, tossing his takeout onto the table and eagerly grabbing a pair of chopsticks to try her food. He had to admit—it tasted great.

“All the dishes are ready, let’s eat!” Zhang Yantong smiled faintly, reaching up to remove the clip from her hair. Her chestnut locks cascaded over her shoulders, and in that instant, Ye Chen seemed to glimpse that delicate, enchanting face from his dreams—half-veiled, like a beauty hiding behind a pipa. For a moment, he was utterly captivated; even the food he’d picked up dropped back onto his plate.

Catching his dazed look, Zhang Yantong laughed, “Dummy, what are you staring at? Eat up!”

“Right, right, let’s eat!” Ye Chen hurriedly nodded, a slight blush coloring his cheeks.

Zhang Yantong was wearing Ye Chen’s pajamas—without any pants, and her own underwear had been washed and was hanging out to dry. So, she relied entirely on the long pajama top to cover herself, convinced Ye Chen had no idea she wasn’t wearing underwear—a classic case of covering one’s ears to steal a bell. Ye Chen’s eyes kept darting to her lower half, hoping for a fleeting glimpse of something forbidden.

“This eggplant with scallion oil is delicious!” Zhang Yantong, smiling, placed a slice of eggplant in Ye Chen’s bowl. “I wrongly accused you before, so I figured I owed you a meal as compensation.”

“I don’t think this is compensation at all!” Ye Chen shook his head with a wry smile.

“Oh? Then what is it?” Zhang Yantong looked at him with playful eyes, waiting for his answer.

“I think you’re punishing me, making me eat such good food that I’ll never get used to takeout again!” Ye Chen pulled a face and glanced at the sumptuous spread before him. “By the way, how did you buy all these groceries?”

“Oh, I just picked a number from your phone and called to ask someone to buy and deliver them for me!” Zhang Yantong laughed. “You know, my clothes are still hanging on the balcony, so it wasn’t convenient for me to go out!”

“What?! Whose number did you call?” Ye Chen was startled.

“A woman named Demon Moon!” Zhang Yantong said with a sly smile. “Hey, it’s easier to communicate with women, after all!”

Clatter! Ye Chen’s chopsticks dropped to the floor. He turned stiffly to look at his phone on the sofa. At that inconvenient moment, it rang—sure enough, it was Demon Moon calling back. Sneaking a glance at Zhang Yantong, he realized she was stifling a laugh.

“Hello...” Ye Chen hurried to the balcony with his phone.

“Ye, are you even a man?” Demon Moon’s angry voice exploded through the line. “I’m cleaning up your mess in the Golden Triangle, and you’re playing around with women in Jianghuai City? You even let a woman move into your place? If you don’t believe I’ll have you castrated tomorrow, just try me! She even asked me to buy her groceries! You bastard, are you even human?!”

Faced with Demon Moon’s tirade, Ye Chen felt an overwhelming pressure. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

“Are you done yelling, sis?” Ye Chen could only sigh.

“No! I’ll castrate you sooner or later!” Demon Moon was still fuming.

“Come on, it’s all a misunderstanding. There’s really nothing between us!” Ye Chen forced a laugh. But could he really say that? He glanced up at the balcony—her white underwear fluttered in the breeze. If Demon Moon saw this, who knew what she’d think.

“Really nothing?” Demon Moon hesitated.

“It’s true, heaven and earth as my witnesses!” Ye Chen nodded quickly. “We’re just ordinary acquaintances—barely even friends. She’s a cop, and I’m just a lowly informant, that’s all!”

“Idiot, did you really have to fall so far?” Demon Moon grumbled. “Tomorrow I’ll have a couple of your boys come find you in Jianghuai City. Also, your little operation has been completely wiped out by the General’s men. Mouse and Big Shrimp are still alive, but if they stay here, they’re dead men. Better to send them to Jianghuai City with you.”

“Alright,” Ye Chen agreed. Mouse and Big Shrimp were his trusted aides. Who would have thought, after running wild in the Golden Triangle, everything would crumble so suddenly, leaving only the three of them. Ye Chen couldn’t help but smile bitterly, gazing up at the sky. The scorching sun left him dizzy and dazed.

“I’m hanging up. And don’t let me find out you’re fooling around with women, or I’ll castrate you myself!” Demon Moon was always firm—she hung up before Ye Chen could reply.

Returning to the living room, Ye Chen tossed his phone on the sofa and flopped down, trying to look nonchalant.

“Did your girlfriend scold you?” Zhang Yantong covered her mouth, laughing.

“No way! Her? Haha, she’s usually the one under my thumb!” Ye Chen swallowed, but just thinking of Demon Moon’s machete and explosive temper made him lose his bravado.

“Haha, still trying to act tough!” Zhang Yantong burst out laughing.

After the meal, Zhang Yantong borrowed a reasonably clean set of casual clothes from Ye Chen. They were a bit big, but for the walk home, it didn’t matter.

“When my uniform is dry, remember to bring it in for me!” she reminded him as she left.

“Sure!” Ye Chen nodded, though he was dying to ask why she didn’t take her underwear with her. It was made of thin fabric and had surely dried by now—she could have worn it home.

As soon as Zhang Yantong left, Feng Zhixiao slipped into Ye Chen’s room like a mouse. He sniffed at the food on the table and shamelessly helped himself to a bowl of rice from the kitchen. Ye Chen could only stare in disbelief until the guy had wolfed down three bowls before he finally spoke up, “Are you some kind of starving ghost reincarnated?!”

“Brother Chen, I haven’t eaten since last night!” Feng Zhixiao grinned sheepishly.

“How’s the information?” Ye Chen asked, lying on the sofa.

“Would I dare come back without news?” Feng Zhixiao grinned, tossing his bowl and chopsticks onto the table. “Tomorrow night, one o’clock, Dock No. 2. The signal is three long, two short flashes!”

“You’re sure?” Ye Chen was taken aback.

“No mistake. I spent several hundred yuan getting my buddy completely drunk to get this out of him!” Feng Zhixiao laughed. “Brother Chen, you’d better reimburse me!”

“Don’t worry,” Ye Chen replied coldly. “If we really get something tomorrow, I’ll give you a major surprise!”

“What kind of surprise?” Feng Zhixiao asked.

“If I told you, would it still be a surprise?” Ye Chen shot him an annoyed look.

“Right, right!”

After getting the news, Ye Chen made no delay—he called Zhang Yantong immediately. This time, she kept it quiet. Last time, when she had called a meeting at the station, the information had leaked. She suspected there was a mole in the force. This time, she planned a surprise operation to leave the traitor no place to hide.

In the police station, Zhang Yantong had already written her report, ready to submit it that night. Deputy Director Zeng was fully supportive of the action. Recently, drug smuggling in Jianghuai City had gotten so rampant that citizens were frequently lodging complaints.

“Xiaotong, what’s your assessment of this operation?” Deputy Director Zeng Kaiqiang, a former soldier turned head of the criminal investigation team, and now deputy director, had enjoyed a smooth career. Zhang Yantong, a graduate of the Public Security University, had been urged by her father, a senior official at the Ministry of Public Security, to take a post in Beijing, but she refused. The rift between them led her, in a fit of anger, to move south to Jianghuai City, where she became an outstanding police officer. As for her background, only a few top figures at the station knew; not even Fang Qin, her roommate, was aware.

“The reliability of this tip is over eighty percent,” Zhang Yantong replied. She couldn’t be one hundred percent certain, but even eighty percent was enough to warrant full preparation.

“Alright.” Zeng Kaiqiang took a drag from his cigarette, crossing his legs. “Let Chen Hao lead the team this time. You were shot just recently—if anything happens to you, how am I supposed to answer to... to Minister Zhang?”

“Director Zeng!” Zhang Yantong shot to her feet, face flushed with anger. “Whose life is less valuable? As team leader, I have the right to lead! I absolutely won’t let anyone take my place!”

“Ah... why must you be so stubborn?” Zeng Kaiqiang frowned. “Minister Zhang only has one daughter—if anything happened to you, I...”

“Director Zeng, there’s nothing more to discuss!” Zhang Yantong shook her head. “I will not let anyone replace me. Also, I plan to mobilize all available officers tomorrow night—we must capture Zhang Dadan’s men and cargo at Dock No. 2!”

With that, she turned and left, leaving Zeng Kaiqiang frustrated, his hand raised but powerless to stop her.