While dessert was being served, which was the same milk pudding that Zhao Lifei managed to burn a while back, the housekeeper walked in with a medium-sized cardboard delivery box. "Madam, this was delivered to our house this morning. It has your name printed on the top, but there's no return address."
She found it was strange that this box got through their security without a return address. Usually, every package sent to the house would undergo an intensive search to ensure nothing harmful was inside.
Zhao Lifei's head turned to Yang Feng who was in the kitchen behind her. He was placing the tiny mint onto the milk pudding. It was a funny sight to witness. Such large fingers handling something so delicate… Her cheeks flushed when something incredibly dirty flashed in her mind. She roughly shook her head, slapped her cheeks, and then turned towards the housekeeper.
"Let me see it." Zhao Lifei took the box, set it onto the table and grabbed the closest knife to her, which happened to be the bread-cutting one. She sliced through the tape and opened the box, only to find another one inside. Surrounded by styrofoam peanuts was a sky-blue polka dot box. She tilted her head. Huh, whoever sent the box must've known her favorite color.
Zhao Lifei picked up the smaller box and placed the bigger one onto the floor. She undid the ribbon and when the lid was opened, her eyes flew open in surprise. Sitting in the box were chips, candies, and chocolates, laying on top of each other.
THUD!
The box fell from her hands, her face sickly pale. Her knees gave out as she collapsed on the ground, trembling and shaking. Her pupils dilated, a ringing sound distorting her hearing, and her arms wrapped themselves around her body.
Yang Feng had finally managed to meticulously place the small spearmint in the center of the milk pudding when his concentration was broken by a loud thud sound. His head snapped up, confused by the noise. When he saw Zhao Lifei kneeling on the floor, clutching her body, he dropped everything and raced to her in one fell swoop.
"What's wrong?" He worriedly asked, bending down to her height. She was fine just a moment ago. Now her healthy skin was as white as ice and she looked like she encountered a ghost. "My love?" He called out, placing both hands onto her shoulders and giving her a light shake. He saw that she was not looking at him, but her eyes were fixed on the box in front of her.
Yang Feng frowned and blocked her line of sight. He pulled her into his embrace and to his surprise, she immediately responded by clinging onto him for dear life. Even in his arms, she was quivering like a freezing kitten soaked in icy water. It did not take long for her breathing to become erratic as she sucked in panicked breaths of air.
"Get rid of the box." He commanded the housekeeper, who placed all of the snacks back into the box, picked it up, and then took it elsewhere. She knew the Boss would want to examine it later, thus, she left it by the door of his locked, private study.
Yang Feng scooped Zhao Lifei into his arms and whisked her upstairs, whispering comforting words to her along the way. "Breathe, my love, just breathe." He opened the door and settled her down on the bed.
"What's wrong?" He quietly asked her, his heart squeezed to bits when she refused to untangle herself from him and together, they laid on the bed. He settled her body on top of him and continued caressing her small back. She held onto him tightly, face buried into his neck, thin arms shaking.
Zhao Lifei was ready to respond with, "Nothing," and keep quiet about her troubles for the rest of her life. But she made a promise to him about speaking up more. "T-the box…" she began, her fingers grasping onto the hemline of his merino wool-cashmere cardigan. She could feel the tremor of her fingers, the way it matched her erratic heartbeats.
"H-he knows…" She stammered, burying her face deep against his skin.
Yang Feng gently patted her upper back, patiently waiting for her to speak of the problems. He preferred progress over perfection. "Who does?"
"J-Jiang Zihui… the box, t-they were the snacks he used to sneak in for me. They were placed on top of each other in the exact order I said to him the first time we met."
Yang Feng's placid expression hardened. This house was no longer safe. "We'll move." He concluded to her. He would not take rejection as an answer and it seemed she accepted his words, for she tightened her arms around his neck and made a meek nod. His fingers curled around her waist, an unreadable expression on his face.
Seeing the General has made his move, Yang Feng decided to put his defense and counterattack into action. Every day, he would take her to work and come pick her up. There will never be a day where she was not within the sight of at least twenty of his men. Her safety was his priority. He would never let her go now, especially with her name on a certificate beside his.
- - - - -
Yang Feng waited until her breathing became steady and tiny puffs of air could be felt on the side of his neck. She was deep asleep on top of him, their position remaining the same. He waited exactly five minutes before rolling her onto the bed and tucking her into the blankets. He fluffed the pillows underneath her neck and ensured she was in the most comfortable position. He placed her hands onto the top of the blankets to ensure she was not smothered to death, but with her low tolerance to cold, he doubted she would.
He was prepared to head to his private study to make last-minute phone calls, but after glancing at her sleeping face, serene and breathtaking perfection, he decided to stay. Sitting by the edge of the bed, his back to her, but one hand placed on top of hers.
Yang Feng rang a man he had not spoken to for a while now. Even so, their friendship and brotherhood remained true and unbreakable.
On the other side of the country, a man laid sprawled on the bed, stomach down, face tucked to the side. His arms were resting upon the curvy backs of bed warmers who climbed in with the hopes of leaving with a diamond ring on their finger — a foolish dream, for his heart was set upon a woman that would never glance his way.
He snored loudly on the bed, tucked under a heavy fur blanket from his recent hunt in the safari jungles. The only thing visible was his prominent, muscular and tanned back resembling a professional swimmer. Slightly wavy chestnut curls could be seen on the silk pillows, hiding the face blessed by the heavens above.
"I bend my knees to the keepers of Hell, to the King who I plea for mercy…"
He let out a tired groan and buried his face deeper into the pillow. He instantly recognized the ringtone of the Demon King known as Yang Feng.
He waited approximately a few seconds before tapping his right hand onto the smooth flesh to signal for her to get the phone.
A naked woman climbed out of his bed, sashaying her round hips, presenting him her delectable behind. His eyes flickered with lust before it settled into boredom. During their intense session, she mainly laid there like a dead fish. The woman to his left, though, was a wild and unpredictable little thing.
The woman, whose name he had forgotten, rushed back to the bed. She presented it to him with a smile and in a low, sultry voice, said, "Master Yu, your phone."
Yu Pingluo lazily grabbed the phone and sat up in bed, the fur blanket slipping to his waist where a solid eight-pack was found.
"Bastard, you kept me waiting." Yang Feng snarled, his tone dark and rough from the start.
"Well, good evening to you as well." Yu Pingluo lazily drawled out. "It's a quarter to eleven as well. Unlike you, normal human beings need their sleep."
"Well get the hell up. I have a task for you."
Yu Pingluo did not need to be told twice since he was already sitting. But the main reason was because of the rigid tone of his Boss. Despite being friends since their youth, there was always a level of hierarchy between them — no matter how much the two tried to blur it. When ones' family served the Yang for generations, it was hard to not establish who the Master and Servant were.