The Shentu residence was decorated with lights and festivities were in full swing. Xia Lei and Shentu Tianyin had not had their wedding yet but they were still formally wed with the certificate signed. The Shentu clan was sure to celebrate such an event.
The family ate together and all was lively.
Xia Lei and Shentu Tianyin returned to their room after dinner. This was a room Shentu Ren had renovated specially for them, with all-new appliances. The bed was decked out in red, and even the carpet was red. Shentu Ren had even instructed someone to light a pair of red auspicious candles.
Shentu Tianyin burst out in a puffing giggle once she walked through the door.
Xia Lei couldn’t help laughing either. “What is Father trying to do, making the room so red.”
Shentu Tianyin smiled, “Fathers have different ideas from us younger people. Marriages in his generation were like this. This is way of expressing his blessings.”
Xia Lei lay on the bed and relaxed. “As long as the elder is happy.”
Shentu Tianyin walked over and pressed herself lightly on Xia Lei. “I’m your wife from now on. You have to treat me well; don’t bully me.”
Xia Lei reached out and spanked Shentu Tianyin on her perky buttocks. A smack rang out clearly and the perky buttocks rippled.
Shentu Tianyin bit her cherry lips as her eyes filled with gloom. “You’re bullying me right after we got married? Looks like I won’t be having any more sunny days.”
Xia Lei chuckled. “Is this considered bullying? What if I want to spank you later? I can’t anymore?”
“I’m all yours. Is there a part of me you cannot spank?” Shentu Tianyin kissed Xia Lei on the lips, and the two of them were entangled on the red bed…
For some strange reason, Xia Lei recalled his father’s words from the phone call, right in the middle of this romantic time. As he kissed Shentu Tianyin, he thought, ‘She loves me a lot and I love her too. I have the ability to protect her too. Why does Dad not think well of our marriage?’
While he was thinking that, pieces of clothing were being dropped to the floor one by one. The new couple were then one. In that instant, Shentu Tianyin was in bliss, and Xia Lei too. What joy on Earth could compare with becoming one with the one you love?
Even volcanoes had times when they were dormant – the newlyweds quieted down after their lust subsided. They cuddled and talked.
“Hubby, what should we name our first child?” Shentu Tianyin drew circles on Xia Lei’s chest with her finger.
Xia Lei laughed. “We don’t even know if it’s going to be a girl or a boy. How are we going to pick a name?”
“Why don’t you just think of a name for a boy first, then a girl?”
Xia Lei thought for a bit. “Xia Le if it’s a boy and if it’s a girl… Hm… Xia Yue. What do you think?”
“Xia Le? Xia Yue?” Shentu Tianyin repeated them twice and smiled. “Xia Le – Summer joy. Summer is a happy season. This is a good name. Xia Yue – Summer moon. The moon on summer nights is most beautiful. Our daughter will surely be a beauty. I like this name too. Hubby, how did you think of these names?”
“I just thought of them,” said Xia Lei. This was not the case, however. He had chosen the ‘Le’ from Emperor Yongle and the ‘Yue’ from Zhu Xuanyue. He picked these because his greatest wish was to solve the mystery of the ancient alloy and of AE.
Shentu Tianyin had no idea of what went through Xia Lei’s mind. She drew close to Xia Lei’s ear and said with hot breath, “Hubby, I like both these names. What do you think we should do?”
Xia Lei laughed. “You want a pigeon pair?”
Shentu Tianyin nodded. “Nn, exactly. I do want a pigeon pair. Won’t we get to use both names if we have a pigeon pair?”
“We’ll have to see our luck.”
“It’s not all luck. I’ve asked the doctor and she said that the chance of getting twins is much higher if the second round is done within fifteen minutes of the first.” Shentu Tianyin gave him a dimpled smile. “What do you think we should do, Hubby?”
Xia Lei was speechless.
Shentu Tianyin was a cold, haughty queen outside and people did not dare to approach her. At home, she was afire with passion and was coy. She was so hot she could melt steel beams. With this demanding wife, Xia Lei abruptly felt like it would be best to evolve not his eyes or his brain first, but his back.
Meanwhile,
South Korea, Seoul, Ahn Residence.
“Shit!” Ahn Geungan smashed the teacup a servant had handed him to the floor. His anger did not subside, and he stepped on the broken porcelain to grind it into fragments.
The servant shuddered. She wanted to clear away the broken pieces but was afraid that Ahn Geungan would turn his anger on her. She stood there, not daring to move and not daring to leave.
Ahn Geungan glared at her. “What are you still standing here for? Get out.”
The servant excused herself and exited as if she had been granted amnesty.
“Dad, what’s the result of the negotiations?” Ahn Suhyeong had already guessed the result from his father’s reaction but he did not dare confirm it.
“Humph!” Ahn Geungan snorted. “Xia Lei and Shentu Tianyin are conniving. They worked together to take advantage of us, and the condition they set was that they buy back the shares of Era Mobile at the price of one yuan, and we have to return them the investment in South Korea at market price!”
“Have Xia Lei and that bitch gone mad with lust for money?” Ahn Suhyeong smiled angrily. “Who’s going to agree to that? They’re dreaming!”
“No, I’ve signed already,” said Ahn Geungan.
“Huh?” Ahn Suhyeong was stunned.
“I’ve also paid up on top of signing. This is the coin I got from them. I’ll keep it till the day Xia Lei and Shentu Tianyin meet their end!” He took out a one-yuan coin. This was the coin Xia Lei had given him after he’d signed the deal with Shentu Tianyin.
Ahn Geungan held the coin in his clenched fist. He wanted very much for the coin to turn into Xia Lei’s heart so he could crush it with his bare hands!
“Dad, didn’t you use the things Gu Kewen supplied to us to threaten Shentu Tianyin?” Ahn Suhyeong came back to his senses.
“It’s no use.”
“That’s impossible,” said Ahn Suhyeing, “I know Shentu Tianyin. We just have to use the dirt we have on her to threaten her and she will comply if she doesn’t want it to affect Vientaine Group.”
“You know Shentu Tianyin but what about Xia Lei? Shentu Tianyin is his wife now. We can’t take Shentu Tianyin down with Xia Lei helping her.” Ahn Geungan smiled angrily. “Now I know why Shentu Tianyin was so anxious to marry Xia Lei. She is after that punk’s ability – he’s a terror.”
“What did Xia Lei do?”
“He got his hands on some things which cannot be revealed or I will be forced to resign from my position in the Grand National Party. It will be impossible for me to run for President. He also has evidence of some business in Shinyeok Group which must not see the light of day. How could I not sign when he has this trump card?”
“How is this possible?”
“I don’t know either. There must be someone helping him, and someone powerful too.”
Ahn Suhyeong tried to guess who it could be but couldn’t think of anyone.
The lights in the living room were suddenly extinguished and the house was plunged into darkness.
“The power’s out?” Nervousness stirred in Ahn Geungan’s heart.
“Get down on the floor!” A cold voice suddenly came from a corner of darkness.
The person who had spoken pushed them to the ground before Ahn Suhyeong and Ahn Geungan could react.
SMASH! The floor-to-ceiling window in the living room was shattered as a bullet struck the sofa behind Ahn Geungan. The sofa shook, and white feathers plumed out of the tear in the leather to fly about in the air.
In the darkness, the Ahns’ rescuer kicked the tea table over to use it as a shield.
Pew, pew, pew! A few more bullets came flying and they all hit the tea table. A bullet went through the table, past the scalp of Ahn Suhyeong, and into the floor.
The Ahns’ rescuer took out his gun and returned fire. His hands were steady and he shot several times in succession – the muzzle of the gun did not waver!
Bang! A gunshot came from outside the living room.
Ahn Suhyeong shook with fear. “Hoffman, is it an assassin? An assassin… came?”
“Don’t be nervous. That’s just Hyena shooting.” Hoffman let go of Ahn Suhyeong and Ahn Geungan.
The Hyena he spoke of was the professional killer Ahn Suhyeong had hired from the international killers’ group after he had left China. No one knew Hyena’s real name but in the world of killers, ‘Hyena’ was an insurmountable mountain, a king not to be challenged!
The hyena is a special canine breed from Madagascar. It was a dog but it was fiercer than a wolf, and lions and tigers avoid them when they see them too!
Ahn Suhyeong relaxed a little after hearing that it was Hyena doing the shooting.
“Is he reliable, Hoffman?” asked Ahn Geungan.
“Rest assured, Mr Ahn. He is king in the world of killers. No one who’s become his target can live,” said Hoffman.
Ahn Geungan laughed. “Good, then tell him to kill Xia Lei!”
“Xia Lei is already his target,” said Hoffman.
The lights in the living room were suddenly restored and a man holding a sniper rifle walked into the living room. This man was half-black and half-white. He had a white man’s features but the skin tone of a black man. He was in his early thirties, big and tall, and icy-eyed. The temperature in the living room seemed to drop by a few degrees at his appearance. He had a suffocating, hell-like aura!
He was Hyena, king of the killer world.
“Two people. One man, one woman,” said Hyena in English. “They escaped.”
“Escaped?” Ahn Suhyeong wrinkled his brows.
Hyena spoke softly, “The enemy is sly. They discovered me – this is no regular enemy. If you want their lives, you have to pay another fee.”
Ahn Suhyeong seemed to have something stuck in his throat and he could not speak.
“Did you see their faces?”
“No.” Hyena spoke little; every word was as precious as gold.
“The people who came to kill me must be connected to Xia Lei. Go to China immediately and finish him off!” Ahn Suhyeong had his own presumptions.
Hyena said nothing; he nodded slightly.
