“This is Damon.” Li Shen introduced casually.
Wan Tong sized up Damon, sensing that he was avoiding her. She found it odd and extended her hand, greeting him, “Hello.”
Only then did Damon look at her directly. He gave her hand a brief shake before turning to Li Shen and asking, “Mr. Li, do we need to continue?”
In just this short moment, his thoughts had already shifted multiple times. He was certain that Cen Wantong was dead, and the girl in front of him was most likely a substitute Li Shen had found.
Or perhaps, Li Shen had discovered something and deliberately brought her here to test him.
Either way, this girl’s appearance was an anomaly.
She had to be eliminated.
Li Shen shook his head and glanced at Wu Li.
Wu Li immediately nodded. “Mr. Damon, please come with me.”
Wan Tong watched as the two figures walked away. Li Shen’s calm voice sounded beside her. “What’s wrong?”
“He seems familiar,” she admitted without hesitation.
This Damon was not an ordinary person. At the very least, he had a deep understanding of psychology. In Shishi’s records, there was only information about him approaching Li Shen under the name Damon. As for who he was before that, further investigation was needed.
“I think so too.” Li Shen responded in agreement, though Wan Tong couldn’t tell whether he was just going along with her words or genuinely felt the same.
His face, as usual, gave nothing away.
These past few days, he had been exceptionally considerate toward her, yet she still felt a thick, invisible barrier between them—one that could never be crossed.
Perhaps, to him, she was just someone who resembled Cen Wantong. He kept her by his side like a well-behaved canary in a gilded cage. After all, who would believe that a handful of ashes could come back to life as a breathing person?
“I don’t like him,” Wan Tong said, locking eyes with Li Shen’s deep gaze. Her voice was soft but firm. “Can you keep him away?”
She had never asked for anything these past few days, not even the smallest request. But the first thing she asked for was something so unreasonable.
Yet, Li Shen didn’t even question it. He simply agreed. “Okay.”
“You’re not asking why?” she asked.
“You don’t like him. That’s reason enough.”
Wan Tong’s heart wavered.
The way he complied so easily made her feel like, as long as she asked, he would do anything for her.
For a fleeting moment, she wanted to make an even more unreasonable request—kill Damon.
But reason prevailed, and she suppressed the impulse.
“What do you want to eat today?” Li Shen asked, his rough fingertips brushing her slightly tensed face.
The coarse texture brought her back to reality. “Anything is fine.”
This was a small island in T Country, peaceful and quiet. But Wan Tong couldn’t forget that someone had died in this very villa.
“Alright,” Li Shen responded.
After a few steps, Wan Tong suddenly tugged at his hand. When he turned back in confusion, she whispered, “Li Shen, I want to go back home. I want to see my parents.”
Li Shen’s expression subtly shifted, as if recalling something unpleasant. But it was only for an instant before he returned to normal.
He grasped her wrist and led her forward with a firm stance. “We’ll talk about it later.”
Wan Tong frowned slightly but didn’t press the issue.
She had mentioned returning to Country Z two days ago, and he had refused back then as well.
Damon knew many things about Li Shen. If he ever decided to act against him, Li Shen would be in immediate danger, while the environment back in Country Z would be relatively safer.
Wan Tong’s fears soon became reality.
The whereabouts of WT Organization’s leader on this island had been leaked, and the first to arrive were mercenaries from an unknown faction.
While taking a stroll in the garden, she suddenly heard a few muffled gunshots from the front entrance. Before she could react, a figure leaped down from the second-floor balcony, landing steadily in front of her.
Li Shen’s expression was grim and cold as he pulled her into his arms, quickly leading her toward the fountain for cover. Something exploded right behind them, debris scattering as gunfire rained down, leaving marks on the ground.
Wan Tong realized that if Li Shen had moved even a second slower, those bullets would have torn through both of them.
“Don’t be afraid. In a moment, leave with Wu Li,” Li Shen’s deep voice rumbled in her ear, mixing with the chaos of battle. She even heard the sound of helicopters overhead.
“What about you?” She was still tightly held against him, half her face pressed against his chest.
Before he could answer, Daina suddenly slid down from the third floor at lightning speed. “Brother Shen! The men inside have been dealt with!”
As Daina spoke, Li Shen was already leading Wan Tong away from the fountain. Right at that moment, two deafening explosions erupted.
A pair of hands covered Wan Tong’s ears, and strong arms held her tightly, shielding her from the scorching heat and shockwave.
Even so, it was hard for her to recover from the impact of the blast.
The explosion had engulfed the villa’s first floor. As the roaring flames surged higher, a powerful gust of wind swept across the ground.
A helicopter descended, and Li Shen pushed Wan Tong onboard. Wu Li and Daina followed, but when she looked around, Li Shen was nowhere in sight.
She rushed to the door and peered down—sure enough, Li Shen’s tall, determined figure was running straight toward the burning villa.
Was he insane?!
“Li Shen!” she screamed, her voice nearly drowned out by the helicopter’s roaring blades.
But he only glanced back at her briefly, before disappearing into the flames.
Wan Tong stared at the swaying rope ladder below, gritted her teeth, and extended her foot. But in the next second, Dana grabbed her by the shoulder.
“Don’t cause trouble for Brother Shen.”
“But he’s in danger.”
Daina frowned at the near-crying expression on her face and pushed her back into the cabin. “Just stay put.”
They had been through worse. This was just dealing with a few insignificant pests.
“Let me go!” Wan Tong’s hands were locked behind her like a prisoner’s. The pain and anxiety ignited her temper. “Daina, you f***ing let me go!”
Daina’s eyes widened. This was the first time a girl had yelled at him!
He glared at her, puffing up his cheeks, then released her in disgust before shouting toward Wu Li, “Wu Li, she yelled at me!”
Wu Li shifted his gaze from below, expressionless, and pointed in a direction. “Shoot them.”
Dana gritted his teeth. As a few figures approached, his expression turned bloodthirsty and cruel. He raised his rifle and braced it against the window.
*Click! Click!* Dana fired with pinpoint accuracy, venting all the frustration he’d just suffered from the girl.
Outside, bullets occasionally struck the metal of the helicopter, producing dull thuds. Wan Tong’s gaze remained locked on the villa, her small face tensed with worry.
What was Li Shen doing?
The master bedroom on the second floor was severely damaged. Amid the gray smoke, Li Shen retrieved a wooden box from the collapsed bed.
He keyed in a sequence of numbers, and the box clicked open.
Inside were only two dull silver couple rings—nothing else.
He grasped them tightly, set the box down, and turned to leave.
Instead of returning the way he came, he headed to the rooftop. On the open terrace, the helicopter’s rope ladder hung down.
Once inside the helicopter, he immediately sensed the strange atmosphere. The back of the cabin was spacious, yet Daina sat there wiping down his rifle with an exaggerated scowl, and the girl was curled up in the farthest, shadowy corner, not sparing him a single glance since he boarded.
Wu Li turned to glance at them, then smirked and looked away.
A moment ago, the situation had been tense, but now, the childish behavior of these two felt oddly amusing.
Li Shen was tall, and even seated, his presence exerted an unspoken pressure.
“What happened?” he asked, looking in Wan Tong’s direction.
She turned her back to him without a word.
After a brief silence, Li Shen simply reached over, hooked her waist, and pulled her onto his lap.
The seat was already small. Even though she was petite, she was now completely nestled in his embrace, their bodies pressed together, their breaths intertwining.
In the dim light, Li Shen finally got a clear look at her face. Tear stains streaked her cheeks, her eyes were red, and her lashes, dark as crow’s feathers, still clung to tiny droplets. Her soft, petal-like lips had been bitten a deep red.
He thought of her earlier scream, how scared had she been?
Li Shen had always prided himself on his way with words, but every time he faced her, his throat went dry. He couldn’t find the right thing to say.
All he wanted was to hold her tight and tell her she had nothing to fear.
“Let me go. I don’t want to talk to you.” Her bright red lips parted, her voice laced with anger.
Li Shen’s fingertip brushed across her lips, and suddenly, a memory surfaced. It was his twentieth birthday. The girl had boldly tackled him onto the grass, clumsily biting his lips until they bled.
His gaze darkened further, his palm steadying against the back of her neck.
She seemed to sense what he was about to do. Her eyes widened slightly, her damp lashes trembling.
A low chuckle rumbled in his throat as he lowered his head and gently bit her lips.
Daina, who had been watching, gasped in horror, dropping the cloth in his hands without realizing it.
Stiffly, he reached out to tug at Wu Li.
Wu Li, already knowing what had happened, swatted his hand away without turning. He was already jealous enough.
Daina, still young and clueless, had no idea how to react. He could only stare blankly.
Until Li Shen shot him a glance.
Daina immediately dropped his head, huffed a breath onto his rifle’s muzzle, and began wiping it furiously with his sleeve.
Wan Tong, sharp-toothed as she was, had still managed to bite a red mark onto Li Shen’s lower lip.
She clutched at his shirt, twisting the fabric out of shape, while he remained completely unfazed, his breathing steady.
When she glared at him in frustration, he even lowered his gaze, running his tongue lightly over the cut on his lip…
Wan Tong froze, then blushed furiously, dropping her gaze. She had thought he was the rough type, but it turned out he was just secretly flirtatious.
“Why did you go back?” she demanded.
“To get something.”
“What could be more important than your life?” He had rushed in recklessly, not knowing if another explosion would happen.
Li Shen didn’t answer. Instead, she felt a cool sensation on the ring finger of her left hand. Looking down, she saw him sliding a silver ring onto her finger.
Wan Tong lifted her hand, quickly recognizing it. “The birthday gift I gave you.”
Her voice was soft. She remembered how, in her youthful infatuation with Li Shen, she had not only given him this gift but also pounced on him and kissed him.
Back then, everyone had thought she was just playful. No one knew how deeply she had actually fallen for him.
With her head lowered, she missed the storm brewing in Li Shen’s gaze.
She remembered the ring—so, did she still like him?
Would she still say, without hesitation, that she wanted to be with him forever?
When she looked up again, his eyes had turned unreadable.
“Let go. I’ll sit by myself…” Her voice trailed off to a whisper, and she dared not move.
But Li Shen only tightened his hold around her waist, shifting her slightly in his lap.
Wan Tong bit her lip and snuck a quick glance downward before whispering hesitantly, “I want to sit by myself.”
Li Shen followed her gaze down, then said in a deep voice, “That’s my gun. Don’t worry, the safety is on.”
His serious tone almost made Wan Tong believe him.
But… that was definitely a gun.