After dinner.
Jiang Yuan cleared the table, washed the dishes, and even did the cleaning, while Yi Nanye lounged on the sofa watching TV like she owned the place. She even bossed Jiang Yuan around.
“Jiang Yuan, bring me a bottle of cola.”
“Sure.”
Jiang Yuan didn’t dare say much. He took care of pretty much everything at home. At least when they were there, he was the one looking after Yi Nanye.
But after Jiang Yuan brought her the cola, Yi Nanye stared at him with a displeased look and a sour expression.
“I don’t drink Pepsi. Get me a Coca-Cola instead.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Yuan went to swap it for her, but even after he brought the new one back, Yi Nanye still wasn’t happy.
“I want it in a can.”
“Mm.”
Without a word, Jiang Yuan turned around and went to swap it again. He didn’t even complain that Yi Nanye could’ve said so earlier. When he brought her the cola for the third time, she was just about to say something when Jiang Yuan pulled a glass from behind his back. It already had a few ice cubes in it.
“Here you go. Want me to pour it for you?”
“Tch… You really can put up with anything, can’t you? I’ll do it myself!”
Yi Nanye was speechless. She’d meant to mess with Jiang Yuan, but he’d been smiling the whole time, with not a hint of impatience. She realized there was no point carrying on like this.
This was basically how the two of them tormented each other at home.
Yi Nanye poured the cola into the glass, then handed the remaining half-can to Jiang Yuan. She turned off the TV and patted the empty spot beside her, telling him to sit down.
Jiang Yuan had some nerve. He sat right beside Yi Nanye and started drinking from the half-can of cola.
“There’s something I’ve been wondering about. Lately, I’ve noticed your attitude toward me has changed a lot. What’s on your mind?”
Before, Jiang Yuan had been nice to Yi Nanye with some reluctance. Now, he practically treated her like royalty. Even when it came to Qin Xin, he didn’t snap at her anymore. Instead, he went along with Yi Nanye’s way of thinking.
“Nothing much. I’ve just realized how complicated things can get. Take last time, for example. On the way to the western suburbs, that driver spoke using ventriloquism. That means he was worried the road surveillance cameras might pick up his conversation with us.”
“And the fact that the people who were supposed to meet me were so confident they could take me away means they have someone inside the traffic management department.”
“In the end, before we’d even arrived, you’d already found the target and wiped them out. That means you worked from both angles and identified the person in the traffic management department who was helping the terrorists. Through that person, you’d already found out how many terrorists there were and where they were.”
“Those three things made me realize something: I’ve gotten caught up in a struggle among the people at the top. I don’t think I can outmaneuver those seasoned old politicians. Even the people protecting me today might kill me tomorrow for some other reason.”
Jiang Yuan was deeply worried about that possibility. It wasn’t out of the question.
“So you think I can protect you? But Qin Xin is clearly stronger than I am.”
“She’s not as level-headed as you. You’ve seen how she thinks. If someone killed me right in front of her, what do you think she’d do?”
“That’s true…”
Yi Nanye had to admit he had a point. If Jiang Yuan died in front of Qin Xin, she’d take revenge on that faction without holding back. There was no need to explain how powerful a Doomsday Hero could be. Qin Xin was the kind of person who could freeze an entire stretch of ocean all by herself.
If someone used that to set a trap for Qin Xin, she’d have a hard time seeing it coming. And Jiang Yuan’s life would naturally be in danger at any moment.
“So if I have to put my life in someone’s hands, I think I’d rather put it in yours.”
That was the real reason Jiang Yuan was trying to win Yi Nanye over. Besides, she had the advantage of her position. She’d protect herself around the clock, and her abilities were better suited to protecting others than Qin Xin’s.
Qin Xin might really be powerful, but her abilities were better suited to killing enemies than protecting people.
“Why? I’m not going to defy the people above me to protect you. If they order me to kill you, I guarantee you’ll be dead that very day!”
“If that day really comes and I still haven’t changed your mind about me, then I’ll just have to accept my fate.”
“Fine, I get it. So right now, you’re basically letting me call the shots, right?”
“As long as you don’t ask me to do something that’ll put the government in a difficult position, I’ll let you call the shots.”
“Then kiss the top of my foot.”
As if to test what Jiang Yuan really meant, Yi Nanye slipped her foot out of her slipper and raised it slightly, waiting for him to make his move.
“Okay.”
Jiang Yuan didn’t even furrow his brow. He set down the can of cola, bent over, and lowered his head, ready to actually kiss her foot. But just as his lips were about to touch it…
Yi Nanye suddenly vanished.
Jiang Yuan immediately looked up to find her, only to see that she was already sitting at the other end of the sofa.
“I’m not actually going to degrade your dignity that much. If I suspect Qin Xin might turn bad, then naturally I have to consider the possibility that you could get on the right track. I’ll remember the choice you made today.”
Yi Nanye smiled at Jiang Yuan. There was no mockery in her smile now. It was the kind of ordinary smile she might give a friend. Seeing her smile, Jiang Yuan couldn’t help letting out a long sigh.
At last, he’d earned a little of her trust.
Jiang Yuan knew that the government, as an organization, would make whatever decision best served its interests in a crisis. But Yi Nanye was an individual, and she’d let her feelings guide her.
If he could build a trusting relationship with Yi Nanye, that would be real safety.
“I won’t let you regret this.”
“I have no reason to regret it. If you’re capable enough to make me defy orders from the higher-ups to help you, then I won’t regret it. I’ll just think it was worth it. But let me be clear: I’m not an easy woman to win over.”
“You’d better be easy to win over!”
Jiang Yuan still wished Yi Nanye were easy to fool. Sometimes he really wondered what her upbringing had been like. She didn’t look that old, but she was far too mature for her age. He could hardly believe he was dealing with a girl younger than himself.
“All right. Since that’s settled, I’ll stop pretending. I’m a little hungry again. You weren’t hungry before, and neither was I. How about we make a late-night snack?”
“What do you want to eat?”
“Can you make barbecue?”
“I’ll cut the meat and skewer it now.”
“Let me help. I’m quicker, and I don’t want to wait too long. I’ll cut the meat, and you can grill it.”
“Sounds good!”
Jiang Yuan and Yi Nanye exchanged a glance, and both of them smiled a little. Then they headed to the kitchen to get tonight’s late-night snack ready.
