AN: I will take a day off tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after. Happy reading.

"You can’t go with him. You might expose yourself," whispered Yan Jia into Li Jun’s ear while covering her mouth so no one could read her lips.

Li Jun had to think about it for a second before whispering back, "Maybe I can get the pendant while he is sleeping. This could be our chance."

Yu Wen suddenly felt a restless knot tightening in his chest. Dark clouds loomed over him, and they were turning thunderous. He could cover up his emotions, but he couldn’t restrain himself. If you were going to talk, then just talk. Why did they have to be that close?

He was pretty sure that was Yan Jia beside Li Jun, but fuck, he just couldn’t contain the sour feeling stuck in his throat. "You have two minutes," he said, and the two of them turned to look at him. One was glaring, and the other was annoyed.

His jaw grew taut, the muscles straining as he fought to keep his emotions in check. Li Jun looked away and said, "It’s fine. I will be fine, okay? Trust me." Yan Jia wasn’t convinced, but she knew Li Jun was going to do as he pleased. She could only voice her concerns, and that’s it.

"Okay... Just tell me if anything is wrong," she said, and Yu Wen nodded. They walked back, and Li Jun said,

"Alright. I will go with you, happy?... Let’s head out then."

Yu Wen seemed satisfied with that answer. The air around him seemed less oppressive. Alex felt like he could finally breathe again. It seemed as though if this man said he wouldn’t ride with the general in the same car, Yu Wen might kill someone.

"Alex, you go with her," Yu Wen ordered, and when Alex met those fiery eyes, he was so frightened that his muscles tensed. She looked so cute yet terrifying at the same time. It was an unsettling combination.

Li Jun walked to the car Yu Wen was in before and opened the door to the front passenger seat, but the man closed it with a loud bang and looked at him, his tall figure imposing and dangerous. "The back," he said, his voice low. Their gaze met for a second the tension between them intense.

Li Jun’s lip curled slightly, and he said, "Okay." Yu Wen opened the car door and gestured for him to get in. "Such a gentleman," Li Jun teased before getting in.

Yu Wen closed the door, and his lips showed an imperceptible smile. He walked around the car, and Yan Jia blocked his path. With a fierce look on her face, she threatened him, saying, "If he is missing so much as a hair on his head, I will kill you. Do you understand?"

His men, hearing this, instantly took steps forward, ready to restrain her and throw her into the transport van. They couldn’t tolerate anyone threatening their boss. Yu Wen raised his hand, stopping them.

His expression softened as he said, "Why would I lay a hand on my benefactor. If anything, I should go the extra mile to appease him." Yan Jia’s eyes narrowed with a hint of suspicion.

After saying that, he turned to the others and said, "Let’s head out," then walked past her and got into the car. Yu Wen sat beside Li Jun, the two of them not exchanging any words. The car started, and they drove back east.

Li Jun was extremely nervous, but he masked it by playing on his phone. His screen was in privacy mode as he read through the family group chat. There were only three members, but the way the messages were moving up, you would think there were more than ten people in the group.

His uncle and grandfather were arguing about something. It seemed like his grandpa had grounded his uncle, and they were going back and forth about it. They couldn’t argue in private. They just had to drag him into it.

He smiled and sent a white flag sticker. The typing stopped for a second before the barrage of messages started again. The culprit had entered the chat. How could they let him go. Li Jun enjoyed bickering with them so much so that he forgot where he was.

Yu Wen had been trying to stay focused on the military reports he was reading, but with this person sitting right beside him, it was virtually impossible. His heart was beating so fast that he could hear it in his ears.

The longer they stayed inside the cabin, the more intense the scent emanating from Li Jun became. Each breath drew in the man’s warm, inviting fragrance, mingled with the fruity sweetness of berry blast, leaving him increasingly intoxicated.

He just wanted to pull him into his arms and kiss him hard. Just thinking about it made him feel so hot. He tugged at his collar uncomfortably and pulled out the pendant around his neck. He glanced at Li Jun, and when he saw the smile on his face, he swallowed, his Adam’s apple rolling under his skin.

He suddenly blurted out what he was thinking. "Boyfriend?"

Li Jun answered subconsciously, saying, "No, my family. I don’t have a boy-" He abruptly stopped talking when he looked at Yu Wen. The pendant was right within his reach. He could just wrestle him for it and run off, but then he realized it was a stupid plan. The car was moving at high speed. If he jumped out, he would only hurt himself and lose the pendant in the process.

Yu Wen noticed where his gaze was. He caressed the pendant and said, "It’s pretty, right?"

Li Jun said, "Yeah, it’s pretty. Can I take a look at it?"

Yu Wen didn’t respond for a long time. He was just staring at the pendant with a look that was incredibly hard to describe. After what seemed like an eternity, he said, "I can’t. This was given to me by someone special. It never leaves my sight."

Li Jun gritted his teeth. Never left his sight? When he was sleeping that day, it wasn’t around his neck. He had searched everywhere and couldn’t find it. This man was a fucking liar.

Seeing that Li Jun hadn’t answered, he took out a packet of caramel popcorn, the kind that Li Jun liked, and asked, "Do you want some?" Li Jun’s brows creased. He was thinking about the chances of Yu Wen having one of his favorite snacks with him? It couldn’t just be a coincidence, right?