Chapter 114: Protection

After Yang Jiekai instructed Long Xiaoman to clean up the aftermath, he had Liu Yan moved to a safer hotel. Upon hearing the details of the incident, Long Xiaoman immediately wanted to take her people to settle the score with Red Boy.

"Wait!" Yang Jiekai stopped her. "Now is not the time."

"Why!" Long Xiaoman gritted her teeth. "We usually mind our own business, yet he came knocking on our door, and his intent was clearly to kill you. We cannot let this slide."

Yang Jiekai waved his hand, signaling her to calm down before saying, "First, we have no evidence that Red Boy did this, and he would simply deny it, leaving us without a legitimate reason to act. Second, given our current strength, a head-on collision with him would do us no good. We must endure for now, wait until we have grown stronger, and then settle this debt with him properly!"

Seeing Long Xiaoman was still fuming, Yang Jiekai smiled and comforted her, "Rest assured, after this incident, I doubt he will dare to provoke us again in the near future. I left none of those assassins alive precisely to send him a warning—to let him know we are not to be trifled with. He is a smart man; I believe he understands."

"So, what do we do now?" Despite her impulsive nature, Long Xiaoman was rational and soon calmed down.

Yang Jiekai lit a cigarette, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and said, "Carry on as usual, but you must be extra careful. Try not to act alone. Put other matters aside for now; when the time is ripe, we will settle both old and new scores at once."

After giving these instructions, Yang Jiekai drove alone to Liu Yan's new residence. He had not informed Long Xiaoman of this because he did not want to involve too many people. Liu Yan’s matter was something he had to handle personally.

After knocking on the door, there was no response. Worried, Yang Jiekai kicked the door open and rushed inside, only to find Liu Yan sitting on the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest. Upon seeing that it was him, she burst into tears. Yang Jiekai let out a sigh of relief; she had been terrified, and because he hadn't spoken when knocking, she had assumed another assassin had arrived.

"Don't cry, it’s me." Yang Jiekai handed her a tissue. "Calm down and think carefully: have you offended anyone? Who would be most likely to target you?"

Liu Yan wiped her tears and said, "I really can't think of anyone. I’m very low-key, and I haven't offended anyone."

Watching her, Yang Jiekai felt a pang of heartache. He recounted the events: the first attempt was on a plane, the second at the airport, and the third just now. The attackers were all highly skilled and chose suicide upon failure—unlike the rabble Red Boy usually hired, who would confess everything the moment a gun touched their forehead.

"Think back to the days before we met on the plane. Did you do anything, or did anything unusual happen?"

Liu Yan pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "No. If there’s one thing out of the ordinary, it’s that I received notice that I was appointed as a judge for the grand finale of 'China’s Best Songs' that day."

Yang Jiekai finished his cigarette and thought for a while. "That’s it. You’ve faced repeated assassination attempts since receiving that notice, and the danger intensified the moment you arrived in Anhai. This means the person who wants you dead is definitely connected to this competition." He added, "I suspect the mastermind does not want you to be a judge for this event. Think—who would be most against your participation?"

Liu Yan rested her chin on her hand, pondered for a moment, and suddenly slapped her thigh. "Could it be him?"

"Who?" Yang Jiekai asked.

"Zhou Kai!"

"Who is Zhou Kai?"

At the mention of his name, a flash of sadness crossed Liu Yan's eyes. After a long silence, she revealed a hidden past. Zhou Kai was her ex-boyfriend. They had met before she became famous and struggled together for their careers. In the end, Liu Yan rose to stardom while Zhou Kai remained obscure. They eventually broke up due to irreconcilable differences, and Zhou Kai had repeatedly demanded "youth loss compensation," which she paid a few times. However, he became persistent, treating her like a cash cow. When she finally refused him, he cursed her as a "bitch" and claimed she only broke up with him because she despised him.

"What kind of person is he? Did you really break up because of personality differences?" Yang Jiekai asked.

Liu Yan sighed softly. "Not exactly. His lack of success had nothing to do with our relationship. It was his lack of ambition. After I became successful and started earning money, he relied entirely on me, spending his days eating, drinking, and playing. He even used my money to keep other women. That’s why I broke up with him."

"Damn, what a piece of trash!" Yang Jiekai cursed. He despised men who relied on women.

"Why do you think he wants to kill you?"

Liu Yan shook her head. "You don't know him. He is very petty. He must think that if I become a judge, I’ll make things difficult for him. I suspect he is the one who least wants me as a judge. He has some musical talent, so he made it to the finals."

Yang Jiekai pondered, rubbing his nose. "Does he have money?"

"He has talent but lacked the effort. He only started working hard in the last two years and has gained some fame, so he should have some money," Liu Yan replied.

"That’s it!" Yang Jiekai snapped his fingers. "He has both the motive and the means. Zhou Kai is our prime suspect."

Liu Yan said nervously, "Perhaps it’s just our guess. We don't have any evidence linking those assassins to him."

Yang Jiekai smiled. "Don't worry. I won't do anything until I have proof. I’ll arrange for someone to protect you for the next two days. Carry on as usual; after the finale the day after tomorrow, everything will come to light."

After leaving the hotel, Yang Jiekai called Old Gun and told him to book a room next to Liu Yan's to provide 24-hour protection. Meanwhile, he had someone secretly investigate Zhou Kai, confirming that he was in Anhai and staying at a hotel nearby.

"Tie Dan, it’s me." Yang Jiekai called Gongsun Tiedan.

"Brother Yang, please call me by my surname, not my given name. Thank you."

"Uh... fine, Gongsun, I need a favor."

"Go ahead, as long as it's within my power."

"Help me steal a computer."

"What? Why steal a computer? If you want one, why not just buy one?" Gongsun Tiedan was puzzled.

Yang Jiekai didn't want to waste time. "Don't worry about it. I'll send you the address. Go and steal that person's computer. Can you do it?"

"Nonsense, that's my specialty. Send it over, I'll get it done!"

After hanging up, Yang Jiekai smiled. Before retiring, Gongsun Tiedan was known as the "Saint of Thieves." Stealing a computer was child's play for him—even in ancient times, he would have been the type to sneak into the Imperial Palace to snatch an item, though his appearance certainly didn't match the legendary Chu Liuxiang.

About two hours later, Gongsun Tiedan returned with a laptop.

"Will they notice?" Yang Jiekai asked.

"Don't worry," Gongsun boasted. "I used incense to put him to sleep; he won't wake up until dawn."

Yang Jiekai nodded and opened Zhou Kai's computer. He easily cracked the passwords and discovered several large money transfers that coincided with the timing of the assassination attempts on Liu Yan. He also found that a transfer had been made just two hours ago to a Swiss bank account. Yang Jiekai checked a hitman website, verified the data, and saw the pattern.

"This guy is truly vicious!" Yang Jiekai muttered. He wiped all traces from the computer and had Gongsun Tiedan return it. He realized why the previous assassins were so professional; they were registered killers from the site. However, with Zhou Kai's limited funds, he could only hire low-level assassins, which was the only reason Liu Yan was still alive.

Anyone could register on the site, but their value depended on their skill. Zhou Kai had only earned a modest amount, so he could only afford tasks around one million—a sum that top-tier assassins wouldn't bother with. Only desperate, low-level assassins took these jobs, and to maintain their reputation, they included a clause that they would commit suicide if they failed.

According to the money trail, another assassin was set to strike soon. Yang Jiekai didn't have a deep connection with Liu Yan, but since he had intervened, he would see it through to the end.

He called Liu Yan. "Are you still scared?"

"A little. Why?"

"Wait for me. I'm coming over. I'll sleep with you tonight."