Yu Hui quickly responded, “No need, no need. Sister Xin doesn’t need to move, I was just casually saying it.”
“
Yu Song didn’t say anything at the time, and Yu Yi was focused on the night’s mission. She crossed over into Xun Qin’s body, serving as a maidservant to Young Lord Yan Mingxu for over ten days. If Yu Song hadn’t mentioned it now, she would have almost forgotten.
Yu Song continued, “Later, I went to check, and Hui’er’s room is indeed quite cold and damp. She’s thin and weak, but it wouldn’t be good to swap rooms with anyone. So I thought of letting her choose another room in the east wing.”
Yu Yi nodded, “If Mother thinks it’s okay, then let’s do that.”
She suddenly became aware that her experience of time was different from her mother’s and sisters’. Even if she kept crossing over and completed missions for several years, she felt she had earned enough money, and by then she would have become an “old maiden”, much older than her “supposed” age in this time and space.
She probably had little chance of getting married and having children like an ordinary woman in her own time and space. When this thought flashed through her mind, she surprisingly didn’t feel any regret or sadness. She understood what Meng Qing had said: “You can’t go back to being an ordinary person.”
Did she really need marriage? Perhaps she just needed a good partner.”
That night, Yu Yi downloaded the mission list again. When the download was complete and she was about to open it, a message popped up in the center of the terminal screen.
Meng Qing: Looking for a mission?
Yu Yi: How did you know?
Meng Qing: Because you have the potential to be a workaholic.
Yu Yi ignored him and opened the list to browse.
Meng Qing: Actually, I’m a workaholic too. Let’s do a mission together. Two people can handle high-difficulty tasks and look out for each other during the mission.
Yu Yi curved her lips: Okay.
Meng Qing sent her a mission. Yu Yi opened it and saw it was an AA-level mission with a reward of 1 point. She found it strange and messaged Meng Qing: Why can’t I see this mission in the list?
Meng Qing: Your level isn’t high enough to see A-level and above missions.
Yu Yi: Can I do an AA-level mission with my current level?
Meng Qing: I’ll be with you, so it’s fine.
Yu Yi carefully read the mission requirements: body crossing, mission starting from dawn, completable within a day. The target was a high-ranking official named Jin Chengzhou from an island nation’s dictatorial government. He was carrying confidential documents harmful to the dictatorial government and preparing to defect to another country. The two intelligence bureau special agents originally assigned to escort Jin Chengzhou were arrested before the operation, so they needed to replace these agents and escort Jin Chengzhou safely to the capital of the other country.
Meng Qing: Wake up at 3:30, discuss action plan, start mission at 5:30.
Yu Yi: Okay.
In this time and space, it is five o’clock in the morning, the sky is ink blue, and the street lights are still on. They were sitting in a black business car, Meng Qing started the vehicle and arrived at the target location after driving for ten minutes. He did not ring the doorbell, but knocked on the door in a pre-arranged manner, two long and two short knocks.
The door opened, revealing a nervous middle-aged man with a slightly balding forehead, but thick eyebrows, wearing gold-rimmed half-frame glasses. This was the mission target, Jin Chengzhou.
Seeing a man and a woman standing at the door, dressed casually, with black hair and black eyes, not looking like the special agents he imagined, he hesitated. Meng Qing took out a passport while saying, “Mr. Cui? We are Carl and Tina, who were scheduled to travel with you.”
Cui Junze was Jin Chengzhou’s alias, with a fake passport bearing this name. Jin Chengzhou had been informed in advance that two special agents, a man and a woman named Carl and Tina, would protect him.
He thought their similar appearance to people from the same island would make them less noticeable compared to Westerners. So Jin Chengzhou opened the door wide and let them in, “Come in first.”
Jin Chengzhou had already packed his luggage, placed in the center of the living room floor. A woman was standing in the living room. Yu Yi had seen the target’s photo beforehand, and this woman was not Jin Chengzhou’s wife, Li Suyin. She was more than ten years younger and also beautiful.
Meng Qing frowned, “Who is she? This is not what we agreed upon.” They had come to escort Jin Chengzhou and his wife.
Jin Chengzhou said, “She is… Shen Yinghui. I cannot leave her behind here. I have already prepared a passport for her.”
Meng Qing shook his head, “She is not our protection target. Where is your wife?”
The young woman looked anxiously at Jin Chengzhou. Jin Chengzhou insisted, “You are anyway bringing two people, so take me and her now.”
Meng Qing pondered. Yu Yi, however, was angry at Jin Chengzhou’s actions: “Mr. Jin, how can you abandon your wife at this time? You must know that once you leave, your defection will likely be discovered, and then your wife will be arrested and secretly interrogated by the dictatorial government.”
Meng Qing gently placed his hand on Yu Yi’s back to comfort her, signaling her to calm down. He then turned to Jin Chengzhou, “Mr. Jin, your wife must leave together. Where is she now? We will go and pick her up.
Chengzhou, you’ll need this for your protection.”
Jin Chengzhou took the system, nodding seriously.
Meng Qing then called Yu Yi again, reminding her, “Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
As Yu Yi navigated through the city, she stayed on high alert. The streets were busy, and she had to stay focused on her mission while keeping an eye out for any unusual activity.
“Stay safe, Li Suyin,” she whispered to herself, knowing that every second counted in their current situation.
Meanwhile, Jin Chengzhou was deep in thought, pondering the implications of their changing circumstances and how they had come to this point. He felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, realizing that protecting those around him was paramount.
He resolved to learn from this experience and vowed to safeguard his loved ones better.
Jin quickly changed into the tight-fitting bulletproof vest. Shen Yinghui looked at it curiously. “What kind of clothing is this?”
“Bulletproof vest,” Meng Qing replied.
Shen Yinghui nervously turned to Meng Qing, “What about me?”
“None prepared for you,” Meng Qing said with a slight smile.
“Chengzhou…” Shen Yinghui looked at Jin Chengzhou, clearly implying her willingness to risk defecting with him, wanting a bulletproof vest as well.
Jin Chengzhou asked, “Mr. Carl, really no extra bulletproof vest?”
Meng Qing replied, “There’s one I’m wearing. This is just a precaution, might not even be needed. Quickly change, so we can leave immediately.”
Jin Chengzhou hurried upstairs to change. Shen Yinghui sat back on the sofa, pouting. Soon, Jin Chengzhou came back down. Meng Qing took them in a black business car towards location four.
—
After leaving the villa, Yu Yi walked a short distance and spotted a car by the roadside. It was early morning; the residential area was quiet. She quickly opened the car door and slipped inside.
At 5:40, Yu Yi drove to Jin Chengzhou’s house, stopping about a hundred meters away. She dialed Li Suyin’s phone using her personal terminal.
Li Suyin, unaware of Jin Chengzhou’s imminent defection, was still in bed. Awakened by the call and seeing it was from Jin Chengzhou’s phone, she answered, “Chengzhou?”
Yu Yi spoke in Jin Chengzhou’s voice, “Suyin, do exactly as I say next. Don’t ask why.”
