Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

One could say there was almost no hope left. Still, the Mystery Investigation Bureau had more than just this one unsolved case; such cases could never be judged by ordinary logic.

"Brother, we're just giving up like this?" Xia Xue climbed into Xia Yan's command vehicle and, seeing him looking somewhat dispirited, asked urgently.

"What else can we do?" Xia Yan said with a bitter smile. "Capturing this Chen Afu was hard enough already—if Yang Juehuan hadn't joined us, we probably couldn't even have caught him. And he's just an insignificant pawn, yet even he was this difficult. Imagine the power of the boss behind him."

Xia Xue had spoken in the heat of the moment; hearing Xia Yan's words now, she too fell silent. Yes—Chen Afu alone had already thrown everyone into a panic, and she had investigated for so long without result. If not for Yang Ce, Chen Afu would probably still be at large.

To be continued

1019. Little Sister, you and Yan...

Xia Xue suddenly realized that she could understand Yang Ce less and less.

The first time she met him, he was just a high school student who had inadvertently become caught up in a "murder case" and was ultimately determined to have acted courageously for justice and in legitimate self-defense. Xia Xue's impression of him had been rather good.

But the second time, Xia Xue's impression of him soured somewhat, and for no other reason than that Yang Ce had somehow gone from a brave young man who stood up for justice to a rapist who assaulted young girls. Although Lin Yanhe had withdrawn the case afterward, Xia Xue's opinion of Yang Juehuan had not improved much.

She merely felt lucky for him—that the victim had voluntarily dropped the charges before a public prosecution could be filed, saving no small amount of trouble.

Her attitude toward Yang Juehuan changed afterward, however, because of an occasion when Yang Ce stepped forward on behalf of an old man who sold roasted sweet potatoes and was being bullied. Though it smacked somewhat of meeting violence with violence, only that could truly put fear into those small-time thugs.

From this it was clear that Yang Ce was still a very kind person. As they came into contact more often, Xia Xue's impression of Yang Juehuan improved considerably—though what astonished her most was the secret base at Wang Pu's house.

It could be said that she and Yan had been able to escape from there entirely thanks to Yang Duoji, and the considerable credit he had earned was likewise something Yang Ce had given her.

And then, just a few days ago, again because of Yang Juehuan, she had escaped disaster and not died in a traffic accident. Every last one of these things marked Yang Juehuan as extraordinary.

Especially after hearing her elder brother say that the Mysterious Investigation Bureau also wanted to recruit Yang Ce, Xia Xue was utterly astonished. What unusual ability did Yang Ce possess, that he could earn her brother's favor?

Xia Xue had once asked her brother about it, but because he had a major case to handle, the siblings had not talked at length. Now that there was time, Xia Xue asked, "Brother, how is Yang Ce so formidable? To think he could catch the mastermind behind the haunted traffic case all by himself."

"How formidable he is, I'm afraid only he himself knows," Xia Yan shook his head. "Even we know only a small part of it. Yang Ce is a maverick who dislikes being constrained, so we can't force him against his will—after all, there are many unsolvable matters that still depend on people like him to resolve."

"Ah?" Xia Xue was taken aback. "Brother, are you saying Yang Minlan is reluctant to join the Mysterious Investigation Bureau?"

"Not merely reluctant—he thoroughly detests the idea," Xia Yan said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. "As I said before, Yang Cenbin personally dislikes being controlled and prefers a life without restraint. If he didn't still harbor some patriotic fervor, I'm afraid he wouldn't even give me the time of day."

Xia Xue was very surprised to hear this. She had not expected such twists and turns in the matter, though on reflection, given Yang Juehuan's temperament, it was hardly surprising. She knew very well what sort of person he was.

"Heh," Xia Xue laughed. "That's him all over. No one can keep him in line."

"Little sister." Xia Yan's expression suddenly turned serious, and he turned to look at Xia Xue.

"What is it?" Xia Xue was puzzled.

"Between you and Yan—is there something you haven't told me?" Xia Yan stared at Xia Xue's face and asked, word by word.

"What could there possibly be between us?" Xia Xue blushed and stammered.

Seeing her expression, Xia Yan grew even more suspicious. "Little sister, are the two of you—seeing each other?"

"Me? Not at all!" Xia Xue nearly jumped out of her skin at the words and denied it hurriedly. "Brother, don't talk nonsense."

How could Xia Yan believe her? He had already harbored suspicions, and now, seeing Xia Xue so flustered, he was all the more convinced something was going on. So he said, "Little sister, tell me the truth. Do you like Yang Ce?"

"Why would I like him?" Xia Xue shook her head like a rattle drum. "Only a ghost would like him."

Xia Yan sighed and thought, This is going to be difficult. His little sister had probably already fallen for him without realizing it. As a man, Xia Yan quite admired Yang Juehuan—decisive in action, clean and neat, with the bearing of a great man. His private life was a bit messy, but that did no real harm.

But where his own little sister was concerned, Xia Yan did not see it that way. How could Xia Xue possibly become another man's mistress? Even if Xia Xue were willing, their father would never agree.

The Xia family's business had expanded all the way to South Africa. How could such a great clan permit their little princess to become another man's concubine?

Yet Xia Yan also knew Xia Xue's temperament very well. This girl was even more stubborn than he was—once she set her mind on something, not ten oxen, not even ten trains, could pull her back.

"It's best that you don't like him. Yang Juehuan has many girlfriends, and I don't want you entangled with him," Xia Yan said.

"What does that have to do with me?" Xia Xue said dismissively. She knew perfectly well that Yang Moyi had no girlfriend.

"I'm just reminding you." Xia Yan hesitated, then said, "Besides, Yang Cenbin refuses to be disciplined. Someday he may well stir up some great disaster, and when that happens, I may have no choice but to—"

"But to what?" Xia Xue urged when Xia Yan fell silent.

Xia Yan sighed and thought, You silly girl. I bluff you a little and you take the bait—and you still claim to have no interest in Yang Ce. He drew a hand across his throat and said, "I may have no choice but to go after him."

"You wouldn't dare!" Xia Xue gave a violent start and shot to her feet, only to hit her head on the car roof and remember she was inside the car. Still, she glared at Xia Yan with wide, fierce eyes. "If you kill him, I'll disown you as my brother!"

Xia Yan's heart bled. Little sister, oh little sister—who was good to you when you were small? Who bought you treats? When you got into trouble, who took the blame for you? And now, for the sake of another man, you'd break with your own elder brother. Heartbreaking, truly heartbreaking. Never mind, he thought. Don't dwell on it—dwell too long and it's nothing but tears.

"What does my killing him have to do with you? Didn't you say you don't like him?" Xia Yan asked helplessly.

"I—it's true I don't like him!" Xia Xue said. "But you can't just kill an innocent man! If you kill him, how sad his girlfriend would be! I'm very close with his girlfriend—that girl is so pitiful."

"Chen Shutang, pitiful?" Xia Yan did not think Chen Shutang was pitiful in the slightest.

"I meant Lin Yanhe," Xia Xue corrected him.