Chapter 14

Later that night, Qianqian slipped out of the estate, her hood pulled low and Snowy left behind with Butler Feng. The air was crisp and quiet, the city alive with muted activity.

When she arrived at the "usual spot"—a secluded park tucked away in their neighborhood—Jinhai was already there, pacing.

"What is it?" she demanded, crossing her arms.

He stopped and turned to her, his expression grim. "We have a problem."

Before she could respond, he handed her a tablet with a live video feed. The footage showed a group of strangers prowling near the warehouse of their base, their movements too organized to be a coincidence.

"Someone's onto us," Jinhai said quietly.

Qianqian stared at the screen, her stomach twisting as she watched the group of strangers. They were prowling near the warehouse in the city, their flashlights cutting through the darkness. One of them held a scanner-like device.

"They're searching for something," she said quietly, gripping the tablet.

Jinhai nodded, his expression grim. "But how would they even know about this warehouse? It's supposed to look ordinary."

Qianqian frowned. The warehouse was only meant to store equipment and supplies she hadn't moved to the base yet. While it wasn't as secure as the base, she had taken precautions to keep its existence low-key.

"Who have you spoken to about the warehouse?" Jinhai asked, his voice cutting through her thoughts.

"Absolutely nobody,I just told Rui Feng that he'll help me upload some Cctvs around the area but he doesn't even have the address and I trust him...I think." Qianqian replied as she quickly swept through her memories,there was no way Rui Feng would do such a thing.

"I'll talk to Rui Feng tomorrow," she said, leaning forward. "He might be able to trace where they came from. The scanner isn't something ordinary. This feels planned."

"Agreed. But what if it's not something we've accounted for?" Jinhai asked, his voice lower than usual.

Qianqian didn't respond right away. Her mind was still whirring, trying to piece together every conversation, every movement she'd made in the past week. But everything seemed so small, insignificant... until now.

"I don't know," she finally said, meeting Jinhai's eyes. "But we'll figure it out. We always do."

"We'll start small," Qianqian said, her gaze moving back to the screen. "See if Rui Feng can dig up anything on the people near the warehouse. But I don't want to act too fast. Let's keep this quiet for now."

Jinhai nodded. "I'll make sure the warehouse is secure tonight. We'll keep an eye on them. Just in case."

The two sat in silence, the quiet tension of the unknown hanging in the air. It became very clear,She has to be more careful and she needed help,and fast.

The very next morning, she quickly rang up Rui Feng.

When he picked up, his tone was bright and casual. "What's the emergency, Sister Qianqian?"

"There's a problem at one of my warehouses," she explained. "I need your expertise."

There was a pause, then a playful sigh. "You mean my unparalleled genius? Sure thing. But I'm at school, Come by later in the evening, and we'll get to work."

Later that evening.

Rui Feng's workspace was chaotic yet strangely inviting. Monitors hummed with streams of code and live camera feeds, while energy drink cans and snack wrappers littered every available surface. Qianqian stepped over a stray cable and gave him a pointed look.

"You really live like this? I mean,you're just 16,you need to go out and have a life." she teased,if only he knew how the world would turn out by this time next year.

Rui Feng grinned as he spun his chair to face her. "The price of brilliance is a messy desk. Now, what are we looking at?"

Sliding into the chair beside him, Qianqian handed over the details of her warehouse. "There have been sightings of suspicious activity here. I need to know who's behind it."

"Got it," Rui Feng said, already typing furiously. "Let's pull up the footage first."

Minutes later, grainy CCTV footage flickered across the largest monitor. A group of men in worn-out jackets and scuffed boots stood huddled near the back entrance of the warehouse. One of them kept glancing nervously over his shoulder.

Rui Feng scoffed. "These guys are amateurs. Look at them. They're about as subtle as a bull in a china shop."

Qianqian leaned forward, her sharp gaze fixed on the screen. "Who are they?"

"Let me dig a little deeper." Rui Feng opened a search program, cross-referencing the faces captured on camera with public databases and less-than-legal networks. After a few tense minutes, he leaned back with a smirk.

"Got it. They're just some low-level thugs sent by...let's see...hey,I know this face,isn't this the lady from the cafe?" He turned giving Qianqian space to move closer.

Qianqian looked at the screen and saw the picture,it was blurry but the face shown on the screen definitely belonged to Li Fang.

Qianqian's heart calmed down a little,now she knows who to point the sniper at.

As Rui Feng leaned back and stretched, he muttered, almost to himself, "Tsk, those guys wouldn't last five seconds against my brother Wei Jian."

The comment might've gone unnoticed, but Qianqian's ears perked up immediately. "Your brother?" she asked, turning to face him fully,"You have siblings?"

For a moment, Rui Feng hesitated, his usual cheerful demeanor faltering. " Yes...I do and It's not a big deal. He's just… good at handling things like this."

Qianqian arched an eyebrow. "Good how?"

"How am I supposed to know,I am just sixteen,don't ask me", Rui Feng replied, his voice higher than usual. He quickly swerved his seat intending to face his monitor but was stopped by Qianqian.

She took a hold of his seat and pulled him closer,then she gave him a deathly glare," start talking,don't make me make you,hon."

Honestly she always had her doubts because for a 16 year old,he sure lived with little surveillance,at first she thought he was an only child with somewhat irresponsible parents.

Then suddenly he mentions a brother and doesn't want to talk about him,of course she would be curious, plus he sounded Like someone she needed.

With a resigned sigh, Rui Feng gave in. "Fine. Wei Jian's my older brother. He's, uh, how do I put this…? Imagine a human tank with the brains of a chess grandmaster. He's calm, calculated, and really good in a fight."

Qianqian blinked, slightly taken aback. "And you never thought to mention him before?"

"You never asked," Rui Feng replied with a cheeky grin.

Qianqian pressed further, "so,Is he some...private mercenary of some sort?"

"Uh huh",came the reply.

"Any other siblings?",she asked just to be sure.

Rui Feng's face lit up. "Oh, yeah! I've got three older brothers. There's Wei Jian, obviously. Then there's Long Hao—he's the quiet one. Doesn't talk much, but trust me, you don't want to get on his bad side. His reflexes are insane."

Qianqian raised an eyebrow,"oh really, he's that good?"

Rui Feng laughed. "You say that now, but wait until you meet Lei Ming. He's the youngest after me. People always underestimate him because of his pretty face, but man,that's the worst mistake anyone who's come across him could ever make."

Qianqian finally releases her hold on his chair,"Can I meet them?"

Rui Feng tilted his head,considering her words," I don't know,they aren't really a people person."

"Come on,please",She pleaded.

Rui Feng finally gave in,"Fine,but let's keep that aside,what do we do about this Li Fang of a girl. "

Qianqian tried searching through her memory but couldn't remember much about her,"Compile her information and send it to me,Oh,and don't forget to set up a meeting with your brothers."

After saying this she left,after knowing the person behind the previous incident was nothing but a small fly,she knew she had other better things to do.

She needed to be more cautious and for that she needed more people,she just hoped that Rui Feng's brothers would be the exact people she hoped they would be.