Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

As they were talking, they saw Yang Ce come out, and Chen Fei asked, "Yang Ce, you've seen Mengyan. Can we go now?"

"Mengyan hasn't eaten, so she can't take her medicine. I thought I'd come out and see if there's anything for her to eat, so she can have a little and then take the medicine," Yang Yanzhou said.

"Mengyan's mother made some porridge. It's in the kitchen—go and help yourself," Chen Fei said.

Yang Ce went to the kitchen and found, sure enough, that there was still some white porridge in the pot; it had just gone a little cold, so he plugged in the rice cooker and heated it for a while. Only then did he find a clean bowl, ladle out a serving, and carefully carry it into Chen Shutang's room.

"Mengyan, time for some porridge." Yang Ce set the bowl on Chen Shutang's nightstand, then took a small spoonful, blew on it near his lips, and said to Chen Shutang, "Open wide."

Seeing Yang Juehuan like this, Chen Shutang let out a little "pfft" of laughter, her heart brimming with sweetness and happiness. She struggled to sit up, only to find that she had not a shred of strength in her entire body.

She had grown used to living in the villa, and coming home all of a sudden had left her out of sorts. In the villa, Chen Shutang slept practically naked—it had become a habit—and when she got home she had forgotten to put on pajamas, so she had frozen all night, and by morning she had a fever.

Seeing Chen Shutang struggle to get up and fail, Yang Heng said, "Don't get up. I'll feed you."

"You feed me? How would you feed me?" Chen Shutang was rather puzzled. If she didn't sit up, how was she supposed to eat?

But then she saw Yang Puqi put the spoonful of porridge into his own mouth, and she was just wondering why Yang Ce was eating it himself when she saw him lean down and bring his lips to hers. Chen Shutang was startled, immediately understanding what Yang Ce meant to do, and said shyly, "Don't—I have a cold. You'll catch it."

It would have been better if Chen Shutang had said nothing; the moment she opened her mouth, Yang Jiyan seized the opportunity to claim her little mouth, feeding the porridge from his own mouth into Chen Shutang's bit by bit. By the time it was all gone, Chen Shutang's cheeks were flushed crimson, and her eyes had grown thick with affection.

"It doesn't matter. My constitution's good—I rarely catch colds," Yang Heng said. "Come, have a little more."

This time Chen Shutang did not stop Yang Ce. She liked Yang Juehuan's way of feeding her porridge very much, and the sweetness of it was something only the two of them could truly know.

After a few mouthfuls of porridge, some color returned to Chen Shutang's face. Yang Ce helped her sit up, gave her the cold medicine, and then said, "I have to go out now. Rest well at home and get better. I'll come see you this afternoon."

"Where are you going?" Chen Shutang had hoped Yang Ce would stay with her, stay until she fell asleep, but she had not expected Yang Cenbin to be leaving already.

"Your second cousin Chen Dazhuang is here—he's outside. We're going to see Chen Afu together," Yang Yanzhou said.

"Oh. Then go ahead, and come back early." Chen Shutang did not think much of it; she simply assumed that Yang Ce was going to visit Chen Afu out of a sense of old classmate loyalty.

Yang Ce tucked the covers in around Chen Shutang and told her to close her eyes and rest easy, and then he quietly left her room.

"Uncle Chen, Mengyan ate a little porridge and took her medicine. Let's go," Yang Yanzhou said.

"Ha, you're the one with a way with her. Mengyan's mother and I couldn't get her to eat no matter what we said," Chen Fei said with a laugh. "The moment you show up, she eats. Looks like the power of love is a mighty thing."

"Uncle Chen, you're teasing me," Yang Mo said, a little embarrassed.

"Ha, you two go on ahead. Xia Yan has already been notified—the car should be downstairs by now," Chen Fei said.

Yang Yu nodded and went downstairs with Chen Dazhuang.

Sure enough, parked downstairs in the compound where Chen Shutang lived was a vehicle of very strange shape, painted army green, with military plates.

Yang Ce and Chen Dazhuang went downstairs, and the car door swung open. Xia Yan jumped out, and when he saw Yang Ce he laughed. "You little rascal—you actually hung up on me."

"I was in the shower at the time. Where would I have found the spare time to shoot the breeze with you?" Yang Ce gave an awkward smile. This guy was clearly never going to let him off the hook.

"Get in." Xia Yan nodded at Chen Dazhuang. Chen Dazhuang immediately followed him toward the car, trembling with awe and dread.

Xia Yan opened the rear door and let Chen Dazhuang climb in. Yang Ce was about to follow when Xia Yan grabbed him and pulled him back. "What are you getting in back there for? You sit up front."

The rear door closed slowly. Xia Yan took the driver's seat, while Yang Ce sat in the passenger seat.

To be continued.

1033. A Father and Son Reunion

The rear door closed slowly. Xia Yan took the driver's seat, while Yang Ce sat in the passenger seat. When the rear door had opened a moment ago, Yang Ce had gotten a clear look at the interior—it was completely sealed. Once the door shut, nothing outside could be seen.

"The location's a secret—afraid he'll find out?" Yang Ce asked Xia Yan once he was in the car.

"Yes. Letting him meet Chen Afu is already bending the rules. If it weren't for your standing, a request like this would never be approved," Xia Yan replied.

"Then why put me up front? Aren't you afraid I'll learn the location?" Yang Ce said.

"If I put you in back, would you really not see it?" Xia Yan shot him a glare, somewhat exasperated. He knew perfectly well what this fellow's ability was.

The two exchanged a smile, both knowing what the other meant.

"I know why you called me here—it's just that you don't want to owe me a favor. Fine, whatever, it's no big deal. It's not as if I'm asking you for anything," Yang Ce said generously, seeing how deliberately Xia Yan was trying to repay his debt of gratitude.

At that, Xia Yan felt rather embarrassed instead. Yang Ce might one day become his brother-in-law; if their relations turned too stiff, they would never be able to get along afterward. So he said awkwardly, "Do you really take me for that sort of person? I asked you here only so you could get familiar with the office here and meet our people—it'll make things easier down the road."

"Really?" Yang Ce clearly did not quite believe him.

"Of course it's true," Xia Yan said. "No one can erase what you've accomplished. Rest easy."

"Then I'll trust you this once." Yang Ce did not much care about any of this, because he never regarded what he was doing now as his real vocation. Capturing Chen Afu had been a mere lift of the hand; if he truly wanted to do something dangerous, he would rather go be a hitman.

"Someone's tailing us." Xia Yan's senses were razor-sharp; he sensed at once that a car was following behind.

"No, that's my man." Yang Ce glanced in the rearview mirror, then said, "Let me have a word with him."

With that, Yang Ce took out his phone and called Zhang Zhishen, telling him to stop following and simply wait for him downstairs at the residential compound where Chen Shutang lived.

The car drove on, and soon left the Songjiang city limits and entered the outbound expressway. Near the tollbooth at the expressway entrance, there was a squad of vehicle inspectors, formed jointly by local authorities and the military district.

But when Xia Yan passed through, the inspectors merely glanced at the investigation pass propped in the lower-left corner of the windshield and waved him through. The Mystery Investigation Bureau's license plate series were all unique, and with a bureau pass displayed up front, there was no way it could be forged.

"This car of yours is pretty impressive," Yang Ce said.