The words Zhang Yurong just said, although merely her personal worries, made Li Yan realize, upon careful thought, that her concern was not without reason. In Yun Country, the ordinary people can never outrun the officials, and the poor can never outrun the rich. Although Yu Hong seemed to be easygoing, presenting himself as open-minded and respecting Yue Yao's choices, without investigating him, it was likely just a front. Chen Mingying, for instance, obviously expressed her disapproval of him.

As the only daughter of Yu Hong and Chen Mingying, Yue Yao, not to mention harming her, would not even be allowed to choose to love an ordinary person. They probably wouldn't intervene directly now, as they likely share Li Yan's view, thinking she is still young and can play around for a few more years.

If Zhang Yurong truly stood up for him, even Paradise Group would struggle to resist the governmental and commercial power represented by Yu Hong and Chen Mingying. Though these concerns seem distant, today has been a very impactful day for Li Yan. The defection of three elite members made him reflect on his personal issues, and both Yue Yao's and now Zhang Yurong's words made him start to understand that being an ordinary person isn't easy after all. Living a life devoid of desires and ambitions can only be a temporary vacation state.

And now, not only must he return, but he must also advance!

...

After jogging and some physical exercise, Li Yan took what felt like his umpteenth shower of the day. Finally checking the time, he guessed Zhang Yurong should be asleep by then before leaving the room and heading for Yue Yao's guest room. With a barely perceptible knock, Yue Yao, dressed in pajamas, opened the door moments later.

Li Yan quickly slipped inside, and Yue Yao hurriedly shut the door.

"Haha, I'm clearly here to have a meeting with you to discuss serious matters, but it feels like we're having an affair."

Yue Yao smiled softly: "A man sneaks into a female friend's guest bedroom at night, claiming to have a meeting, who would believe that?"

Indeed, if caught, no one would believe it.

Li Yan walked inside, noticing Yue Yao wearing a sheer silk nightgown different from the one he had seen before. This one wasn't as short or revealing, but it was extremely thin, almost transparent. In the bright light, he could clearly make out the shape of her panties underneath with just a quick glance. When she turned around, there was no trace of a bra strap, a complete vacuum!

Although there were floral patterns on the front that prevented transparency, knowing there was nothing underneath yet unable to see anything made it even more enticing.

Yue Yao sat directly on the bed and, upon looking back, noticed Li Yan's gaze quickly shifting away. She smiled faintly: "Are you getting shy? Don't misunderstand, it's not intentional. Yurong gave me all the sexy sleepwear she bought but felt too embarrassed to wear, and any of them would be like this. Besides, I was already showered and in bed."

"No need to explain, could I think more about you?" Li Yan also went over to sit on the bed.

Yue Yao felt a slight disappointment. Li Yan treated her as a brother, a sister, a partner, and a respected friend, but none of these were what she desired; she wished he would see her as a woman.

"Haha, don't overthink about Yurong either. You noticed those sexy nightgowns, yet never saw her wear them; she might find them uncomfortable or perhaps she seems pure on the outside but is open-hearted inside..."

Li Yan thought to himself, that's just the nature of a reserved flirt.

"…Actually, it's not like that. Women have a natural fondness for beautiful clothes and jewelry, just like men have a natural preference for weapons, cars, and sports. Someone like her, who can easily change into the most beautiful and fashionable clothes every day, chooses to wear conservative professional attire because of her inherent nature, but might think about trying other beautiful clothes in private. Her pajamas and nightgowns are conservative, but when she occasionally sees something sexy and beautiful, she buys it because she likes it."

Listening to Yue Yao discuss female psychology from a girl's perspective gave Li Yan a deeper understanding. He also felt a bit regretful, wondering when he could get the Ice Goddess to wear sexy nightwear for him?

"Let's have a meeting!" Yue Yao said as she lifted the covers and lay down, patting the spot next to her.

Li Yan hesitated for a moment, then lay down as well. The two of them lay closely side by side, and then Yue Yao turned off the light.

Darkness often breeds many desires.

But for them, darkness often made them even more composed!

The feeling in people's hearts is strange; the same night, with bright lights like daylight, makes people talk and act as they would in the daytime. Once the lights are off and darkness takes over, it feels significantly quieter, and people tend to speak softly.

Now the two of them are lying close to each other, speaking quietly, to avoid being overheard by Zhang Yurong if she happens to walk in. Li Yan gently explained the situation, mentioning the betrayal of Liu Yunqing, Peng Duandao, Feng Wuqing from the organization, which he had already mentioned to Yue Yao on the rooftop. Now he was supplementing with information about Chen Xingye, Wan Liming, and others who were led to betrayal, as well as their sentiments.

After listening quietly, Yue Yao sighed softly. "I didn't expect things to become like this... Over the past two years, I've adhered to the principles of fairness just like before, giving everyone a chance. New tasks are assigned based on previous performance, not necessarily favoring those with more seniority. They disdain taking B-class and C-class tasks because they see them as beneath their 'Fist Level,' but they can't handle S-class tasks. The chances of an A-class task coming up each season are limited, and other organizations around the world are also eyeing them. This has affected their income."

Of course, their organization's own rules also limit actions, like not killing children. Li Yan could understand all this: "It's not your fault... It's their mindset that changed. This line of work isn't sustainable for long. If I hadn't taken this extended leave, my mindset would have changed too."

"Yes." Yue Yao didn't say much else. Over the years, she's already gotten used to it, her mindset is to follow him. If he were to quit instead of taking a vacation, she would also disappear the next day.

"Queen! The other day I mentioned ending my vacation and returning to the organization. Now I want you to officially announce this information so that all members of the organization are aware. As for tonight's event, we don't need to broadcast it—our opponents will guess it was me. Soon we will find out what kind of organization they really are. From Liu Yunqing's phone, I found a contact who might be responsible for planning this action. I've already asked Guan Ziyi to look into it, but I assume the person will be gone by the time we find them. However, I will not let that organization get away!"

"Mm." Yue Yao answered softly, "Mario isn't worthy of being your return battle. Tonight's just a prelude; they can consider themselves stepping stones for the King's return!"

Unless it's an extremely formidable organization, Li Yan will pull them out directly. Otherwise, everyone would dare to lure his people away. As for those international giants trying to cause financial turmoil through big moves, they are just spending money and won't care about the pawns' survival.

"The second point, see if there are any S-class tasks in these two seasons. If there are, let me consider them."

"Mm." Yue Yao didn't persuade him, as the mutual understanding between the two meant she completely understood his intention. His consecutive actions are not for money but for confidence! The organization's internal morale needs him to rally and consolidate confidence, and external clients also need him to instill faith and confidence in the organization.

"I also need your help in investigating and understanding the current situation, as the organization needs a major cleanup. These things..."

Before he could finish, Yue Yao already said, "Don't worry! I'll handle these well. Now, with no one targeting you or Yurong in S City, I have plenty of time."

She paused and then asked, "Do you think I should...?"

"No need!" Li Yan also knew what she was going to say. She came to S City to secretly protect Zhang Yurong for him last time. To protect her more easily and to have the chance to be close to Li Yan, Yue Yao chose to quickly establish a relationship with Zhang Yurong, win her trust, and then publicly appear as an online friend. Now that there's no longer a need to protect, it's time to leave.

"Queen, they've changed, and we all are changing too. I can already sense a significant change in myself compared to five years ago. You've given up too much for me and for the organization. You've never really enjoyed your own life... If you feel it's alright here, then stay! Consider it your home!"

Yue Yao was silent for a moment, "I do like it... It's great to see you every day... uh, I mean, like tonight, being able to reach you directly and immediately when something happens. Sister Yurong is also very good to me... But I'm ultimately deceiving her. I fabricated the reason to come here for a change of scenery, staying here too long isn't good... and it might interfere with you all."

"Haha, interfere with what? I see your friendship has warmed up quickly after meeting, and Yurong doesn't have any close friends. She's clearly taken you as her confidante. You should roughly know our situation by now. Staying would be better for everyone. As for the reason... you can say that when you were idle, you found a job on your own and wanted to move out and find a place to live. She definitely won't feel assured and will insist you stay here." Li Yan laughed.

"But... in terms of a regular job, together, we're no match for her, how can we deceive her?"

"Hehe, if you say you're working for a Fortune 500 company, of course, you can't deceive her. But you can say you're writing novels for places like Starting Point Chinese Network, Jinjiang, or Red Sleeve. For this kind of grueling writing job, such a big executive like her wouldn't know about it and wouldn't actually check your work."

"..." Yue Yao sighed softly, "With this, I've deceived her again. Seeing how sincere she is to me, telling me about your affairs, I really can't bear to deceive her."

Li Yan also fell silent for a moment, then asked, "When Yurong is with you, does she smile?"

"Of course!" Yue Yao found this a bit odd, isn't this obvious?

"Then that's settled, isn't it? Back when I lived under the same roof with her, the place we met the most was the dining table. We barely exchanged a few words every day, and I rarely saw her smile. Though in some respects we deceitfully tricked her, your presence has made her happier, and that's worth it."

"Hm... Alright, you should go back. Don't act like last time, all flustered as if caught in the act!" Yue Yao chuckled softly.

As soon as the words fell, there was a knock on the door! (To be continued, for more updates please log in at www.qidian.com. Support the author and legitimate reading!)

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