Shen Sixing sat in a hotel room in some city, with a dense sea of neon lights glittering beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.
He had just finished a ten-hour negotiation, but the first thing he did—without even taking a moment to rest—was open his messages.
The picture Wen Ya had sent showed a plate of stir-fried greens that looked less than appetizing.
The next one was Shen Yi’s new hairstyle: her hair had been tied into two lopsided little buns, and she was staring blankly at the camera while flashing a V sign.
Wen Ya asked him:
“Are you done yet?”
Shen Sixing held up his phone and stared at it for a long time.
He replied:
“Not yet. I’m working very hard, miss!”
After sending the message, he placed the phone facedown on the table, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and propped his chin on one hand.
His exhausted reflection stared back at him from the floor-to-ceiling window, dark circles shadowing his eyes.
It had been nearly a month since he’d left.
Most of their communication took place through messaging apps.
Every so often, Wen Ya would send him something.
Sometimes the pictures showed Shen Yi doing her homework. Sometimes they showed Wen Ya hanging quilts out on the balcony to dry. The images were nothing but fragments of everyday life, scattered like scraps of paper across the floor.
And Shen Sixing picked them up one by one, looking at them over and over again.
The atmosphere on Wen Ya’s side was undeniably warm and domestic.
On Shen Sixing’s end, he was attending meetings, negotiating, killing people, dealing with traitors, and repeatedly laying down plans within plans.
He sat at the head of the conference table with his legs crossed, listening to his subordinate report on their progress. His eyelids hung low, and his fingertips tapped against the tabletop at irregular intervals.
His mind was filled with only one thought:
I really want to go home.
Shen Sixing had been working especially hard lately.
After all, he had taken on this troublesome assignment, and it would require at least a year of preparation.
Wanting to leave as soon as possible, Shen Sixing had tried to compress the schedule to six months. As a result, for the past month, he’d slept only five hours a day, spending the rest of his time traveling from place to place for work.
On top of that, he had to keep an eye on what was happening with Wen Ya from time to time, making sure his parents weren’t causing trouble.
Handling both matters at once had left him utterly drained.
“Dad, what kind of work are you doing?” Shen Yi asked over the phone. Bored, she had begun quizzing him about his daily routine over the past month.
“I’m dealing with a few minor problems,” Shen Sixing replied.
Taking the opportunity, he tried to cultivate the image of himself as a kind and considerate boss.
“My dad assigned me a very difficult task. Once I finish it, I’ll be able to come see you both.”
“It’s just that my subordinates aren’t very obedient lately. They’re always bad-mouthing me behind my back. But I’m generous, so I didn’t hold it against them. Instead, I transferred them to positions that suited them better.”
Shen Sixing really hadn’t held it against them. He’d simply sent all those pig-brained subordinates to the front lines to charge into battle.
Whether they were still alive was currently unknown.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Yi interrupted, “Were they happy after changing positions?”
Shen Sixing answered his daughter’s question calmly. “They should be. After all, growth always comes with a little pain…”
Shen Yi had a feeling that her father hadn’t exactly done anything humane.
Wen Ya, however, focused on something else entirely.
“Your subordinates actually dare to bad-mouth their boss?” she asked.
“Then you haven’t been bullied, have you?” Wen Ya asked anxiously.
Shen Sixing smiled. “No. I am their boss, after all. Don’t worry about my safety.”
Hearing him say that only made Wen Ya worry more.
At the dinner table, Wen Ya couldn’t keep her concerns to herself. She began murmuring to her daughter, “He’s been working so hard lately. And Shen Sixing is in organized crime, but he’s so mild-mannered. Even if he’s working on his own turf, he must be getting bullied at work.”
Shen Yi was tearing into her food. She looked up when she heard this, her words muffled. “Huh?”
Could that really happen?
Shen Yi didn’t know what Shen Sixing was like at work.
But surely he couldn’t actually be bullied, right? When they’d first met, he’d nearly frightened himself sick trying to maintain that sinister expression of his. He certainly hadn’t looked like someone who could be pushed around.
Still, it wasn’t impossible. After all, whenever Shen Sixing dealt with people, he automatically turned soft and fluffy.
Shen Yi set down her chopsticks and rested her chin in her hands. “Then what should we do, Mom?”
Could the two of them possibly go rescue the weak and helpless Shen Sixing?
Wen Ya pondered this. “I know a hacker. How about having them send a warning text to Shen Sixing’s parents?”
Shen Yi thought about it. “What should it say?”
She didn’t think that old-fashioned couple would be intimidated by much.
Wen Ya had already made up her mind.
With complete confidence, she had the hacker send the message.
There was no signature.
Only one sentence:
“Husband missing. If he doesn’t return within three days, I’ll start killing people.”
