When they arrived at No. [-] Middle School, they picked up Su Xiaomeng before heading toward Tulip Villa.
"Sis, did you hear? Something crazy happened on Dongsanjiu Road—some gangsters robbed a bank! It was insane!" Su Xiaomeng exclaimed as soon as she got in the car.
"What did you just say?" Su Qing frowned at her sister's language.
"Uh, nothing," Su Xiaomeng replied, sticking out her tongue playfully.
"Don't swear. You're a young lady—how can you talk like that? Who taught you such bad habits?"
"This… I learned it from Xiao Chen!" Su Xiaomeng rolled her eyes and pointed at him.
"What?!" Xiao Chen, who had been quietly listening, nearly slammed his foot on the accelerator and hit the car in front of them.
"Hey! Xiaomeng, I never taught you to curse! A classy, elegant, handsome guy like me would never use bad words!" he protested.
"Ha! You, classy and handsome? More like a piece of dried-up old bacon that's been in the sun too long!" Su Xiaomeng shot back.
Xiao Chen grinned. "Old bacon's good—it's got more flavor."
Su Qing couldn't help but smile at their banter. It seemed Xiaomeng was finally starting to accept Xiao Chen's presence. Otherwise, she wouldn't be teasing him like that.
Back at the villa, Su Xiaomeng went upstairs to study, while Su Qing changed into her home clothes and started preparing dinner. Xiao Chen, with nothing to do, lounged in his room for a bit before heading to the living room to watch TV.
About half an hour later, dinner was ready, and Su Qing called out, "Xiao Chen, come eat!"
"Hmph, look at you—you can't even come to eat unless my sister calls you. Want her to feed you too?" Su Xiaomeng teased.
"Hehe, I wouldn't mind—if your sister's willing," Xiao Chen said with a smirk.
"You—!"
"Alright, enough. You two have been bickering all day," Su Qing interrupted with a helpless smile, serving food for them both.
"I'm done arguing with him," Su Xiaomeng said. "If people didn't know better, they'd think he's our uncle instead of our bodyguard!"
"Haha, you're right, Miss Su," Xiao Chen chuckled. "How about this—starting tomorrow, I'll make breakfast for everyone?"
"You said it! No one forced you!" Su Xiaomeng replied, trying to hide her excitement.
"Xiao Chen, don't listen to her nonsense—I'll handle breakfast," Su Qing said quickly.
"It's fine," Xiao Chen smiled. "I can't sleep in anyway. You've been tired lately—take the morning off."
Su Qing's heart softened at his words, and she just nodded silently.
After dinner, the three of them cleared the table and settled on the couch to watch TV.
"Breaking news," the anchor on Longhai Evening News reported, "A robbery occurred this afternoon at XX Bank on Dongsanjiu Road. Seven suspects were involved. Three have been shot dead by police, while four remain at large. Citizens are advised to stay alert and avoid unnecessary outings…"
"I can't believe they still haven't caught them. These cops are useless," Su Xiaomeng muttered.
"Xiaomeng, you should be careful for the next few days," Su Qing said, worried. "Go straight home after school—no wandering around. We'll pick you up, okay?"
"Come on, Sis. Longhai's huge. What are the chances I'll run into them?"
"Just listen to your sister."
"Alright, alright. I'll come home right after school," Su Xiaomeng sighed.
"These robbers aren't ordinary people," Xiao Chen said quietly, his eyes fixed on the TV.
"Oh? What do you mean?" Su Xiaomeng asked curiously.
He didn't mention the real reason—he could sense a killing aura from them. These men had definitely seen blood before. They were likely ex-special forces soldiers.
"Wow, sounds intense! Think there'll be a shootout like in a Hollywood movie?"
"It's possible," Xiao Chen replied. "But if they try to take these guys down, the police will pay a high price."
He frowned slightly. Something didn't add up. Why rob a bank? For men like that, there were easier, more profitable crimes—like kidnapping a rich target.
At first, he thought it was just a few desperate punks with homemade guns. But clearly, that wasn't the case.
"Brother Chen," Su Xiaomeng teased, "don't you have any sense of justice? Aren't you the great special forces hero? Shouldn't you go take those guys down?"
"Am I crazy?" Xiao Chen said flatly.
"…You're such a coward!"
"Also, I'm not some 'special forces king.' I'm just a humble pig farmer."
"What?!" Su Xiaomeng's jaw dropped.
"Yep. The company even calls me the 'Pig-Raising Expert,'" Xiao Chen said proudly.
Su Qing sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Here he goes again…"
"I'm going upstairs to shower. You two keep talking."
After she left, Su Xiaomeng frowned. "You're lying. No way a pig can jump two meters high!"
"I'm serious! I was a pig genius!"
"Yeah right. What about my brother Su Yunfei? Was he your fellow pig farmer too?"
"Of course not! Your brother's a legendary soldier king. I'm not even fit to carry his boots."
"Finally, something accurate," Su Xiaomeng said smugly.
"Hehe, you know, your brother really is a hero. Want me to tell you his story?"
"No… I mean—hmph, who wants to hear it? He's him, I'm me!" she huffed, turning away.
"…Alright then," Xiao Chen sighed, quickly changing the subject. "Hey, that Yin He guy—still bothering you? Want me to deal with him?"
"How would you deal with him?"
"I could break his leg for you," Xiao Chen said half-jokingly.
"Perfect! Go do it!"
"…Huh?" Xiao Chen blinked. Kids these days were terrifying! Wasn't she supposed to say something like, "No, that's too violent"?
"Just tell me when you'll do it, and I'll help you plan it!"
"Uh… didn't your teacher ever tell you to be kind?"
"Tch, forget it. If you're scared, just say so!" Su Xiaomeng scoffed and stomped upstairs.
Xiao Chen stared after her, shaking his head. "Kids nowadays… unbelievable."
Later that night, after watching some TV, he went to bed. As he lay there, his mind drifted to the events in Naga. His eyes landed on the bone ring on his left hand. What kind of secret are you hiding?
---
The next morning, Xiao Chen prepared breakfast.
When the Su sisters came downstairs, a delicious aroma filled the air—golden fried eggs gleaming on the table.
Su Xiaomeng devoured hers in a few bites. "Wow, not bad! You actually can cook," she admitted.
The rare praise made Xiao Chen feel oddly proud—and then annoyed at himself for being so easy to please.
After breakfast, the sisters went off to school and work, starting another busy day.
Xiao Chen toured the company grounds, checked the surveillance room, attended the morning security meeting, and, seeing nothing unusual, headed to Qin Lan's office.
He had promised to stop by, and honestly, he knew if he didn't, Qin Lan might actually kill him.
Besides, working with a stunning woman like her wasn't exactly torture. Getting to chat with her, sneak glances at her long legs—it beat gaming any day.
As the internet would say—those legs alone are worth a month of entertainment.
At lunch, Ding Li invited him to eat, but Xiao Chen refused. Who would eat with a guy when he could eat with Qin Lan instead?
As they dined together in the company cafeteria, they drew plenty of attention. Men were jealous, women were curious.
Soon, rumors about Xiao Chen spread—how he'd beaten Ren Kun, humiliated Liu Dakui, taken down the Flying Eagle Gang, and more.
People were stunned—this guy was no pushover!
Some female employees even started admiring him. A strong, confident man like that was rare.
Of course, there were also whispers that he'd only risen so fast because he was close to Qin Lan.
Xiao Chen just laughed it off. "Bunch of jealous idiots," he thought. "If they had the chance, they'd be doing the same."
And anyway, he and Qin Lan were completely pure.
Well… for now, at least.