Chapter 263: A Phone Number

"King, boss, they called themselves the Raven, just two guys. They didn’t even resist, just obediently spilled everything..." Xie Xuanji was quite excited about successfully completing the task.

"Do you have the answer to my question?" Li Yan interrupted his excitement.

"Yes!" Xie Xuanji immediately got serious, "That Raven never met the employer. It was someone who once hired them for work who gave the employer’s contact number. The employer first transferred a hundred thousand yuan to their bank card, promising another hundred thousand after completion. The advance payment was made so readily that the Raven didn’t bother probing the employer’s background. They only had contact via a phone call."

"Is that all? Surely there’s more?"

"You’re sharp!" Xie Xuanji flattered a bit, then quickly got back to business, "The employer contacted them a few days ago, provided them with your photo and identity, and said they would create an opportunity for them. Today, an unknown number sent them a message, and that’s when they ambushed you. Obviously, their efforts were utterly futile."

Li Yan pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you know what to do next?"

Xie Xuanji had already contemplated Li Yan’s implied meaning and immediately responded with excitement, "If you trust me, boss, I’ll take care of those two! If you don’t want to dirty your hands, I’ll finish them for you; if you wish to vent personally, I’ll bring them to you!"

Li Yan was quite satisfied with his response. He’s living an ordinary person’s life now, lurking elsewhere for work, so he can relax a bit. Around where he lives, he needs to stay low-key, like that time when Wen Qianyi discovered his secret after tailing him. He used to turn to Duan Haibo for certain tasks, but Haibo wasn’t his direct subordinate and constantly asking him wasn’t good. Xie Xuanji had enthusiasm and smarts, worth utilizing.

"Alright, it’s yours to handle. But first, track down the employer for me. Remember, the one who called and paid might not be the mastermind, maybe just the middleman. Don’t worry about the number that sent messages; I’ll handle it later when you send it to me."

"Understood!" Xie Xuanji agreed, then asked, "What about these two guys? They even call themselves assassins, making us assassins look bad! Disrespecting you is already enough for a death sentence, let alone just accepting ten thousand yuan, that’s unforgivable!"

Li Yan, speechless, joked, "Are you hoping for a huge bounty on my head?"

"No, no, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant they undervalue your worth... I mean, you’re worth more..."

"Enough. Their fate is yours to decide."

Xie Xuanji was a bit surprised, "I... can decide?"

He assumed that King, being the King of Assassins, would be furious about being affronted by such outclassed killers and would order him to eliminate them, something he’d do effortlessly. But making the decision himself was a bit daunting. Historically, whatever he did was directed by Queen; his role was to follow orders, not to make decisions himself.

Li Yan said nonchalantly, "If you’re working with me, you must learn to gauge situations, not wait for my orders on everything. Remember, our killings are to solve problems; indiscriminate killing creates more. Sometimes, threats are more effective than killing. Weigh the pros and cons and decide for yourself!"

"Yes!"

After Li Yan ended the call, Xie Xuanji was both puzzled and excited. Faced with the decision of whether to kill those two, he was somewhat at a loss. But hearing King explicitly stating, "work with me," meant he had become one of King’s trusted aides? This prospect was exhilarating.

He was more accustomed to execution than weighing options. But upon reflection, he understood King’s last words were hints and guidance.

We kill to solve others’ problems; indiscriminate killing creates more problems.

Sometimes, threats are more effective than killing.

Does it mean it’s better not to kill those two? Those two are also assassins; they wouldn’t report to the police. And after experiencing such threat, they’d probably not dare to linger here anyway, right?

He walked into the room, showing a devilish smile to the two persons on the ground, waving the gun between them, "Sorry, my employer gave me the freedom to decide how to end you. And you’ve seen my face..."

"We didn’t want to see it, we only angered a giant unaware, please, we beg you, for our peers’ sake, spare us! We’ll leave immediately," the Ravens pleaded. They could already drive stolen cars to crash people, a step up from their previous knife-wielding habits, and for an assassin with a gun, they had only seen them in movies. Now facing the real deal, resistance was out of the question.

Xie Xuanji chuckled coldly, pulled the trigger.

Gunshots rang, and screams followed!

After the screams stopped, it was apparent neither was hit; the shot landed between them. Experiencing the gun’s might, their hearts pounded with terror, knowing Xie Xuanji was toying with them, fearing a slip of his hand could finish them off for real.

Having achieved the intended intimidation, Xie Xuanji pointed the gun at the Ravens, "Call your employer. No matter how you do it, lure them out, and you’ll live!"

"Calling now!" The Ravens were just mimicking movie assassins, holding no honor code of an assassin; with a gun to their head, professional ethics weren’t a concern.

...

Li Yan received a cellphone number sent by Xie Xuanji and dialed it.

This number was unfamiliar to him. He doubted it was Sun Hui’s, but as for Liu Yunyun and Ye Xin, it was hard to say...

After dialing, no one answered, and it rang for a while before being disconnected.

He redialed, and after a moment, the call was picked up, and a female voice asked, "Hello, who are you looking for?"

From the brief interaction earlier, Li Yan was not very familiar with the voices of Liu Yunyun and Ye Xin, and couldn’t fully recognize them yet. But in such a short time, he could certainly confirm that it was definitely one of the two!

"Are you Liu Yunyun? I’m Li Yan, Sun Hui’s friend." He tentatively asked, believing that it was most likely Liu Yunyun, but regardless of who it was, it didn’t matter much anymore.

"Oh, yes, what’s up?" Liu Yunyun was clearly surprised and even a bit uneasy about Li Yan calling her phone.

"Nothing much. We haven’t had dinner. I’m staying here to look after Sun Hui. Could you pack some food for us?" Li Yan said with a cold laugh, calmly asking.

"Oh..." Liu Yunyun hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sure. After we finish dinner, I’ll pack and bring it back."

"Can you also buy a pair of crutches for Sun Hui? I’ll give you the money later; or when you get here, I’ll go buy them myself."

Though slightly hesitant about Li Yan’s request, Liu Yunyun agreed. "Okay, I’ll see if I can find some."

"Thanks a lot."

At this point, Li Yan had confirmed that the matter involved Liu Yunyun. She was an accomplice! And the mastermind was very likely Liu Yuyang. Liu Yuyang wouldn’t let this go, but how to deal with this indirect accomplice... He decided to ask Sun Hui again.

...

Seeing Li Yan back from the call, Sun Hui apologized, "Sorry, I originally wanted to invite you to dinner. Now, you have to stay here to look after me. If you have any matters to attend to, feel free to leave! I’m a grown man; it’s just a minor leg injury, no big deal."

Li Yan sat down and, after hesitating slightly, directly asked, "I’m fine, but there’s something I need to clarify with you."

"What is it?" Sun Hui asked, puzzled.

"What exactly is your attitude towards Liu Yunyun? Do you really like her, or is it just a casual flirtation? If you really like her, I’ll definitely help you take advantage of this opportunity, creating a chance for you. If it’s just casual flirting, then it’s another story." This question had been addressed before, but now Li Yan’s tone was noticeably more serious.

This made Sun Hui feel both surprised and touched — friends are truly friends! Even when I’m hospitalized, they don’t forget to create opportunities for me to date girls!

"To be honest... it’s somewhere in between. In relationships, no matter how you play, it’s interactive; one side thinks they’re playing the other, but the other side also has gains. She might not actually like me, but I enjoy the process. And if she starts to distance herself, I won’t feel bad, nor will I persistently pursue." Sun Hui self-reflected and spoke candidly.

Li Yan nodded slightly. When it comes to feelings, everyone has their own perspective, and no one can force others to think the same. Since this is Sun Hui’s attitude, Li Yan felt reassured. "Alright, I’ll help ask her about it. If there’s no interest, it won’t waste your time."

"Alright."

"You rest for a bit. I’ll go check your test results; they’re probably ready by now." Li Yan left the hospital room.

...

After waiting, retrieving a few reports, and delivering them to the attending doctor, when Li Yan returned, Liu Yunyun was already in the hospital room. Ye Xin didn’t accompany her back, she was alone, bringing not only packed lunches but also some fruit. It was clear that Sun Hui was still quite enjoying this ’surprise.’

With the test reports, the doctor quickly devised a treatment plan, requiring an operation to set the bone. After sending Sun Hui to the operating room, Li Yan and Liu Yunyun sat waiting in the hallway, not speaking.

The silence intensified the atmosphere; Liu Yunyun spoke first, "Sorry, I didn’t know where to buy crutches, so I brought back lunch first. You haven’t eaten yet, go have some food, I’ll buy them now!"

"Hold on, I have a few important questions for you!" Li Yan said in a commanding tone. (To be continued, for more Chapters, please visit www.qidian.com, support the author, support legitimate reading!)