Chapter Sixty: A Sense of Danger

Thinking about her leaving, Ye Qian couldn’t help but imagine how long Long Fei and Yang Danni would go on with their wild escapades. Recalling the alluring moans she’d heard over the phone last night, Ye Qian’s cheeks flushed inexplicably, and a sour pang twisted in her heart.

In truth, Long Fei wasn’t as terrible as she had imagined. On closer inspection, he was rather handsome—he could fight, he could cook, and he was an excellent driver. He seemed to be fitting her standards more and more.

Ye Qian broke into a smile and muttered to herself, “Long Fei, I’ve decided—I’m going to pursue you. If you dare make fun of me, I’ll never let you off. I’ll pester you every single day!”

With this decision made, Ye Qian found herself unable to keep smiling. Long Fei didn’t seem particularly attractive or charming to women, but in just a few days he had already won over Yang Danni, and it looked as though Liu Ruoyi would soon fall for him as well. And who knew how many more girls would fall under his spell in the future? Even now, she faced two formidable rivals—how could she possibly steal Long Fei away from them?

Unable to think of a good solution, Ye Qian had to let it go.

Well, let’s take it one step at a time—no matter what, I won’t give up without a fight!

She raised her little fist high, nearly shouting a slogan, but it was already ten o’clock at night. Although the streets weren’t deserted, if she were to suddenly belt out a few lines with her powerful voice, she might well frighten the passersby!

Ye Qian started her Ferrari again, turning on the music—not heavy metal this time, but love songs by Jeff Chang. Instantly, the car was filled with a romantic ambiance. If she weren’t driving, she might have closed her eyes to savor it.

Humming along to Faye Wong’s “I’m Willing,” Ye Qian resisted the urge to race tonight. Her heart was completely lost in the music, so she didn’t notice a Honda quietly tailing her. The driver controlled the distance with practiced precision, so it was no wonder Ye Qian failed to realize she was being followed.

Once she left the busy part of the city and entered the elevated highway, even Ye Qian’s carelessness couldn’t keep her from noticing the Honda behind her. Perhaps out of instinct, she began to accelerate, and as soon as she did, the Honda also picked up speed.

It was obvious—they were after her.

Panic rose in Ye Qian’s heart. Suddenly, she thought of Long Fei. If only he were here, maybe she wouldn’t be so scared.

But fear was useless now. Ye Qian had no choice but to floor the accelerator. In her panic, she nearly crashed into the guardrail, breaking out in a cold sweat.

She dialed Long Fei’s number. It rang for ages, but no one answered. Cursing him under her breath, she tried again, but this time the line was busy.

Her car rounded a bend. Clearly, waiting for Long Fei to come to the rescue was impossible. Ye Qian pinned her hopes on her father, but before she could even dial, the Honda behind her closed in rapidly.

Ye Qian panicked, and, ignoring the turn she’d just made, slammed the pedal to the floor. A cold wind rushed in, clearing her mind in an instant. Luckily, her head was clear enough to avoid crashing into an oncoming Mercedes.

She shot past the Mercedes, not daring to linger, and pressed the accelerator again. The Ferrari’s superior performance kicked in, and in a flash, she had put a great distance between herself and her pursuer. Seeing that the Honda wasn’t catching up, Ye Qian didn’t dare let up, nor did she ease off the gas. She was all in now, not even considering what would happen if she flipped the car—her only thought was escape.

Inside the Honda, a man in a white trench coat wore thick sunglasses, shoulder-length golden hair cascading down. If it weren’t for the aged skin on his face, and perhaps a breast enhancement surgery, he could almost pass for a woman.

Seeing Ye Qian’s Ferrari vanish around the bend, Marben cursed under his breath and stomped hard on the accelerator. But no matter how he drove, the Honda was no match for the Ferrari. His skills were good, but not quite professional, so all he could do was curse.

Marben—eighth on the world assassin rankings, the most infamous hitman in England. Just a year ago, he was ranked forty-third, but in only a year, a string of perfect kills had launched him to eighth place. His methods were so professional that anyone in England who knew the name Marben would shudder at the thought.

Marben’s talent for killing was recognized throughout the underworld. Otherwise, he could never have achieved such dazzling feats in just three years. He was notorious for his cruelty among assassins.

To be a killer didn’t necessarily mean losing all humanity. Many assassins set their own rules: no killing the elderly, children, or women. But Marben was not among them. Plenty of old men and children had died at his hands—his path to the top was paved with blood and corpses.

With his rapid rise, Marben’s fees had soared. Rumor had it that hiring him could cost up to ten million dollars—the highest in the business. Logically, that price should be out of reach for most, so he shouldn’t have so many clients. But the opposite was true. He never lacked for business, his inbox always full of new contracts.

Marben was supremely self-confident, but also incredibly greedy. He didn’t even know who had hired him this time, but such things were common in the assassin world. With enough money, anyone could commission a hitman through an intermediary, and the killer would never bother to learn the employer’s identity. That was the rule—everyone had to follow it.

Though Marben specialized in killing, he was also experienced in kidnapping—this was hardly his first time. As long as the price was right, he didn’t care whether it was murder or abduction. This time, a mysterious employer had paid sixty million dollars for him to kidnap Ye Qian, with half—thirty million—paid upfront. It was the highest commission he’d ever received, so he accepted without hesitation and immediately flew from England to Shanghai.

With a sudden twist of the wheel, a cruel smile flickered across Marben’s face. In his view, as long as a woman was over ten but under sixty, he would never hand her over to the employer without first enjoying her himself. Money was one thing, but pleasure came first. This was Marben’s way—despised and condemned even among his peers, who called him scum and a beast. But because of his formidable strength, he had never reined himself in. If anything, he became even more unrestrained.

Suddenly, Marben’s heart clenched. Relying on his vast experience and keen sixth sense, he slammed on the brakes and reversed hard. Then he saw a Mercedes coming from the opposite direction. Although the Mercedes performed a beautiful drift, surging forward at high speed, it suddenly braked sharply about ten meters away from the Honda, stopping dead in its tracks. This maneuver alone proved both the car’s superb performance and the driver’s exceptional skill.

Many experts had died by Marben’s hand, and he freely admitted he’d come close to dying more than once himself. But now, he felt a pressure greater than all his previous dangers combined. The Mercedes doors didn’t open, yet a wave of murderous intent emanated from within, making Marben’s heart tremble.

It was almost laughable—to be frightened before even seeing his opponent. For one of the world’s top assassins, it was an insult, utterly ridiculous. Yet Marben found nothing funny about it. For the first time ever, he truly felt fear—because he had never experienced anything like this before.