As Xiao Ziye and Li Bingbing stepped off the train, a group of figures rushed toward them. Leading the pack was a rugged young man, his inch-long buzz cut framing a face etched with fierce intensity. One glance told you he wasn't to be trifled with, and the crowd parted instinctively to let him pass.
Spotting the girls, his menacing expression softened to concern. "Little Moon, Ice, you okay?"
"Third Brother, it's you!" Xiao Ziye blinked, surprised. "Didn't I tell you not to come? Why're you here?"
Li Bingbing tossed her short hair, brimming with energy. "Big Saint Bro, you look way too tense. Chill—it's just a train ride. You're overdoing it!"
Relief washed over Xiao Dasheng as he saw them unharmed. He shot Bingbing a mock glare, his fierce demeanor giving way to warmth. "Tense? Nah. It's Grandpa who's freaking out. Word came through about an assassination attempt on your train. The old man nearly lost it—if Grandma hadn't calmed him, he'd have sent a chopper. So, here I am, dragged out by his orders."
Ziye giggled. "That dramatic? Third Brother, call home quick—tell them Ice and I are fine."
Bingbing smirked, unfazed. "Duh, we're golden. With my future boyfriend there, a few assassins were nothing—child's play."
Xiao Dasheng froze, eyebrows shooting up. "Ice, you? Miss 'I Hate Everyone' has a boyfriend? Does your dad know? You better tell him fast—he's been trying to pawn you off on me. No offense, but, uh, we don't spark."
Bingbing rolled her eyes. "Relax, I'm definitely not into you. Compared to my future man, you're lightyears behind."
Ziye sighed as the two started their usual bickering. They'd been at it since childhood, always trading barbs. Both families had hoped they'd pair up, but as they grew older, their bond morphed into something sibling-like, stunning everyone who'd bet on romance.
"Enough, you two," Ziye cut in. "Ice, don't take that boyfriend talk seriously. You barely know the guy! Let's not jump the gun. Why not be my Third Sister-in-Law instead? You're always saying you want to one-up me—being my sister-in-law would make you the 'big' one."
In the past, Bingbing might've teased, "I'll think about it." But now, she didn't hesitate. "Pass. Sorry, Ziye, looks like we're sisters, not in-laws, this lifetime."
Xiao Dasheng gaped. Was she serious? Sure, he'd never seen Bingbing as girlfriend material, but they had history. What kind of guy had swept his childhood "bro" off her feet like this? Was this still the tomboyish Bingbing he knew?
Catching his questioning glance, Ziye sighed. "Let's talk at home. She's just caught up in the moment—no address, no real connection. Who knows if they'll ever meet again?"
Xiao Dasheng burst out laughing. "Ice, you're crushing on a random passerby? Calling him your 'future boyfriend'? Hilarious! A tomboy like you—who'd dare take you on?"
Bingbing's foot lashed out, aiming for his shin. "Shut it, Dead Monkey! Mocking me? His name's Lei Zhengyang, from Beijing. That's all I need. Finding him's a piece of cake with my skills. I'm just biding my time—two years, then I'm set."
Xiao Dasheng dodged her kick, but the name hit him like a thunderbolt. His face darkened. "Beijing? Lei Zhengyang? Wait—did I hear that right? Tall, about one-eighty-five, handsome with a devilish smirk?"
Even Ziye was stunned. Did Third Brother know him?
"You know him?" Bingbing asked, curious.
Xiao Dasheng's playful grin vanished, his tone grave. "Ice, we've always bickered, but listen up: if that's really the guy you met, stay far away. He's a wolf in human skin—chews people up and spits out the bones."
Before the girls could press further, Xiao Dasheng's eyes snapped to Ziye, alarm flaring. "Little Moon, did he… do anything inappropriate to you?"
His little sister was the Xiao family's princess, a beauty beyond compare. If they'd crossed paths with that man, she was in danger. As a drinking buddy from years past, Xiao Dasheng knew Lei Zhengyang's type: no top-tier woman escaped his grasp.
Ziye smiled, unruffled. "Brother, what're you thinking? He was great—really decent. You must be mistaken. Plenty of people share names. But his skills? Insane. He took down those assassins in seconds. That's what got Ice hooked."
Xiao Dasheng's mind spun. If Lei Zhengyang had set his sights on Ziye, it was a disaster. With the Xiao family's current standing, a marriage proposal from the Leis would be impossible to refuse. No way—he had to get home and warn Grandpa.
"You didn't tell him who you are, right?" he asked, voice tight.
Ziye scoffed. "Do I look like I go around flaunting my name?"
Xiao Dasheng exhaled, relieved—until Ziye added, "He only knows I'm from Jincheng, named Xiao Ziye."
He clutched his head, nearly collapsing. That was more than enough. Lei Zhengyang wasn't an idiot—he'd piece it together. Ziye was a Xiao, no question.
"Let's go home. This is bad," he muttered, ignoring the girls' puzzled looks. Explanations could wait.
Jincheng's Xiao family wasn't the city's most powerful, but it was uniquely influential. They steered clear of government affairs, standing like a mountain guarding the metropolis's safety. Three generations of military service, with two at the top of the regional command, spoke to their clout. Xiao Ziye and Xiao Dasheng's father, Xiao Hanjiang, led Jincheng's Special Military Guard, and his deputy, Li Keming, held a pivotal vote on the city's Party Committee. In Jincheng, the Xiaos' weight was undeniable.
At the Xiao estate, the family was already up. Xiao Ziye's mother enveloped her in a tearful hug, startling her. "Mom, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Grandpa Xiao, seeing his granddaughter safe, smiled faintly. "All's well—a false alarm. As long as you're okay, nothing else matters. We'll leave the rest to the local authorities. You must be exhausted from the train. Let's get some food ready, then rest. We'll talk later."
With Ziye safe, the train's assassination attempt was no longer the Xiaos' concern. Let the government handle it.
As Grandpa Xiao turned to head out for his morning exercise, Xiao Dasheng stopped him. "Grandpa, hold on. I've got something to say. Ziye met a guy on the train—supposedly Ice's 'future boyfriend.'"
Before he could finish, Grandpa Xiao waved it off. "Let the kids handle their own affairs. They're college students—dating's no big deal. Besides, you weren't keen on Keming's marriage pitch, right? Ice liking someone else gets you off the hook."
Xiao Dasheng gave a wry smile. "Yeah, Ice's crush frees me, but Grandpa, the guy's name is Lei Zhengyang."
"What? Lei Zhengyang? The Lei family's Lei Zhengyang from Beijing?" Xiao Hanjiang, silent until now, frowned sharply. As head of Jincheng's Special Military Guard, he knew Beijing's elite inside out. His third son's friendship with Lei Zhengyang had been encouraged—not for the man himself, but for the Lei family's influence and Patriarch Lei's favor.
"Yeah, he said he's from Beijing, named Lei Zhengyang," Xiao Dasheng confirmed. "Dad, is there a problem?"
Ziye blinked, confused. Her family brushed off the assassination attempt but zeroed in on a stranger she'd barely mentioned. To her, Lei Zhengyang seemed normal—hardly worth this intense scrutiny.