(Today is the first day of kindergarten, coupled with a tiring month, I relaxed a bit, so only two chapters will be updated. Another chapter is coming later. Thank you everyone, I hope you continue to subscribe and support! Please give your monthly pass to Mixed, keep giving the old scoundrel an adrenaline shot, (*^__^*)）

After Li Yan realized someone was following him, he immediately analyzed the situation. He believed he hadn't been exposed, but couldn't be certain if Li Jie was spotted when she left the restaurant with Julian's group, nor could he determine which side the stalker belonged to.

Looking at the current situation, it was only certain that there were two parties involved. Julian's bodyguards were too preoccupied to care, Li Chengfeng was also busy with strict prevention, so naturally, no one had time to watch them. The most likely suspects were Si Country people; besides having professional assassination agents, they also had local informants, like those people in the restaurant whose close observation often made it hard to guard against. Of course, it could also be the assassins, perhaps someone noticed Li Jie following Julian and now, seeing her out of the hotel, might want to use her as bait to tempt Si Country agents into action.

Whatever the possibility, Li Yan was very concerned. If something happened to Julian, it only affected mission completion and interests. If someone followed to kill Li Jie, or used her to lure Si Country people to kill, this would be a personal issue, one he could not accept. Naturally, no matter which side it was, being with Li Jie also made him a target for elimination.

"Let's go inside and shop!" Li Yan suddenly placed his hand on Li Jie's shoulder, holding her as they headed into a nearby sports brand store.

Li Jie was startled by his move, her slim shoulder wiggled a bit, and she whispered, "What are you doing?"

"Hehe, you look thinly dressed, afraid you might catch a cold! Want me to buy you something?" Li Yan ignored her protest, continued warmly holding her and they strolled around inside.

He wasn't planning to tell her about the stalker to avoid stressing her out. As long as he was there, he wouldn't let this small fry seem intimidating, he would naturally handle it with ease. Pretending to be ordinary lovers now was also to confuse the stalkers behind them, avoiding a situation where they might shoot in the street.

"No! I have enough clothes, this is fine as is. I'm a bodyguard, do I need to dress like a chubby penguin?" Li Jie, unable to escape from his hold, relented. Although feeling unnatural and embarrassed, since no one here knew them, she felt a bit relieved, just unclear of Li Yan's intent.

"Hey! Do you often use excuses like watching movies and shopping to take advantage of girls?"

Hearing her serious inquiry, Li Yan pulled her to a mirror, ruffled her hair, and joked, "Look, with that hairstyle and outfit of yours, from behind or upfront, people would think we're brotherly buddies, how could I be taking advantage?"

Although he was teasing her, Li Yan's gaze was focused on a reflection in the mirror, sighting a figure quickly darting to another shelf. The person was very alert but he still caught a glimpse of the true face.

"You—!" Li Jie was speechless, "Do you enjoy giving people nicknames? I'd rather you call me Silly Girl!" At least Silly Girl was female, much better than Brother Jie.

"Don't be upset, others might not know, but I know you're a girl with quite a good figure." Li Yan teased her, released his hold, and walked forward.

Li Jie's face flushed, unsure if from anger or embarrassment, chased him and lightly pounded his back a few times.

After strolling in the shop for a while, Li Yan took her hand and left, then immediately headed into the next store next door.

What annoyed her was how Li Yan, a grown man, enjoyed shopping so much. Despite the short distance, he was gleefully wandering from one store to another, even when protecting female clients, none had such enthusiasm for shopping. Seeing something, he'd ask if she wanted it, offering to buy for her, making it seem like a sugar daddy on a shopping spree, leaving her helpless.

...

Li Yan obviously wasn't shopping for the fun of it; it was all for the stalker behind them! First, it allowed him to use mirrors, glass doors, and other reflective surfaces in different stores to clearly identify the stalker's face; second, for Li Jie's safety! Shops with various obstacles and customers offered less risk of gunfire and better chances to evade. Walking on the street would have been much more dangerous.

By the time they reached near the cinema, he had almost confirmed the stalker was not an assassin, nor a Si Country assassination agent, but merely someone working for Si Country, tasked to surveil and track them before relaying information to a specific location.

"Are there any couple seats?" When buying tickets, Li Yan suddenly asked.

The cashier stared at them skeptically: "Couples...?"

Li Jie was maddened by Li Yan's antics, but hearing the skeptical tone and seeing the questioning eyes of the person, she had to handle the outsiders first. She brushed aside her stray hair, snapping at the ticket counter, "I'm a girl! Hmph! Regular tickets will do."

After getting the tickets, seeing Li Yan chuckling to himself beside her, she sternly warned him, "If you keep joking like this, I'm not watching any movie!"

"Alright, alright, it's about to start. Let's go inside now, I promise I won't make any more jokes."

"Hmph!"

Li Yan took her hand and quickly jogged ahead.

Li Jie didn't realize he wanted to inconvenience the stalker, who hadn't had time to buy a ticket yet, wondering why he was in such a hurry, even suspecting he might have other motives inside the cinema...

Tickets checked, entered, found seats, and settled in; there was still some time before the movie started. Li Yan noticed that the stalker hadn't come in yet; maybe they lost track? How boring would that be!

"Sit here for a bit, I'll go buy some Coke, popcorn, or something."

Li Jie quickly shook her head: "No need, I'm not thirsty or hungry."

Li Yan felt a bit awkward, "Snacks, you don't have to be hungry or thirsty to eat them."

"Well... you buy for yourself, it's cold, I don't drink cold beverages."

Li Yan looked at her and suddenly laughed: "You're not worried I'll spike your Coke and take you home, are you?"

"Of course not..." Li Jie blushed a little.

"Hot drinks would probably make you even more uneasy. Let me see if there's any place here that heats up cans." Li Yan remembered being caught off guard by a girl who pretended to be an innocent nearsighted high school student.

"Give me a break, by your logic, being with you requires high vigilance and extreme caution! Forget it, decide whatever you want, I'm not suspicious, okay?" Li Jie said helplessly.

Li Yan agreed with a nod and went out.

After leaving the theater, he hadn't walked far when he saw the person stalking them, holding a ticket and coming over, obviously having bought a ticket to the same theater.

The stalker thought their cover hadn't been blown but still instinctively averted their gaze when they noticed Li Yan, looking away at the posters on the wall.

"Hey! You're Old Wang, right? Been waiting for you!" Li Yan greeted with a smile, warmly approaching.

Old turtle? You're the little turtle!

The stalker only had time to curse internally before being enthusiastically hugged by Li Yan, and then quickly taken towards a stairwell.

"Hey! What are you doing? I don't know you!"

"I don't know you either, but we can talk privately."

"Talk? About what? What do I have to discuss with you?" At this point, even an ordinary person would realize they were exposed. But this person was clearly not up to professional espionage standards, unable to stay calm and failing to display a surprised or puzzled normal reaction; their eyes showed frustration and anger.

After exchanging a few words, Li Yan tightened his grip, making it difficult for the person to move as he brought them into the stairwell.

"Alright, let go of me, what do you want to talk about!" The person had just not resisted, but now that there was nobody else, they vigorously struggled.

Li Yan was slightly surprised by the strength that seemed disproportionate to the person's age and unassuming build. He released the person, but only with one hand while the other swung a punch, instantly hitting the person's face, nearly swelling their eye.

"Why are you hitting me!" The person became furious.

Li Yan wasn't apologetic; as the person angrily pointed, he struck again with coordinated punches! Both aimed at the face!

The person was shocked, hurriedly dodging but only managed to avoid one punch; the other still hit the face, almost the same spot, further swelling what wasn't swollen before.

Even though not a professional agent, this person was clearly trained, realizing they couldn't handle Li Yan, they prepared to strike.

Unfortunately, Li Yan was not an ordinary person, he never held back when striking! He faced the incoming punch, accepting it to grab the person's neck with his large hand, pushing them to the corner of the wall.

The person struggled desperately but couldn't shake Li Yan's arm, and Li Yan didn't actually intend to choke them to death; he just swung with his other hand a punch different in force from the previous ones. The person tried to evade but couldn't, "Bang—" they heard the solid sound, felt their face change shape, but before the pain registered, they were unconscious.

It's often said not to strike the face, but for those deserving of a lesson, not killing them, hitting the face is more satisfying!

(Thanks to the brothers who rewarded on the 31st: dongmin8061, Yidu Master, boolean, zjun971210, dongmin8061, kgjo, Muzi (cz), I'm Arrogant, Illusion Breaker, しょぅけん) (To be continued. To know what happens next, please log on to www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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