Xu Mu returned to his private room and found that several dishes had already been served.
Ye Tong and Meng Wanyue were sitting together, chatting.
"What are you two talking about?"
Xu Mu closed the door and sat down beside Ye Tong as he asked.
"We were talking about our pasts."
Ye Tong smiled at Meng Wanyue. She really liked this younger girl.
If Meng Wanyue ever became Xu Mu's woman, Ye Tong wouldn't mind.
Of course, that depended on whether Meng Wanyue herself was willing—most women wouldn't be.
Since Xu Mu would be driving later, he hadn't touched any alcohol tonight.
Ye Tong and Meng Wanyue, however, had drunk quite a bit of wine.
Although the alcohol wasn't strong, Xu Mu noticed the faint blush spreading across their cheeks.
Apparently, neither of them could hold their liquor.
Halfway through the meal, Meng Wanyue was already slightly drunk. Normally, she only drank soft drinks and rarely touched alcohol.
As an assassin, she always needed to keep a clear mind.
But in Ye Tong, she sensed genuine sincerity.
And since the Dragon King had ordered her to protect Ye Tong, she naturally felt some degree of Favorability toward her.
Xu Mu sat quietly eating, extending his perception to observe the three people upstairs.
He already knew what they were planning to do—listening to the recording later would be fine.
After about half an hour, the three upstairs dispersed.
They left the private room and took the elevator down.
Twenty seconds later, the waiter Xu Mu had bribed earlier entered the room, removed the bug hidden under a bowl, and flushed it down the sink.
Xu Mu couldn't help but smile. The man was cautious, afraid someone might discover it.
He extended his perception to the limit again—
He saw Qian Gang's car leaving the street.
Lin Yan and Li Feipeng also drove off together, disappearing into the night.
"I can't drink anymore," Meng Wanyue said, her cheeks flushed as she pushed the wine glass away. "Sister Ye, I still have to work tomorrow. Let's call it a night."
"Why don't you come home with us? We've got plenty of rooms," Ye Tong offered, her voice slightly slurred.
"No, no, I'd better go home. I don't want to bother you two."
Though a bit dizzy, Meng Wanyue's mind was still somewhat clear.
"All right then, we'll drive you home."
Ye Tong stood up, holding onto Meng Wanyue's shoulder for support.
Seeing the two of them swaying, Xu Mu got up and said, "Let me help you both."
"Thank you, hubby," Ye Tong said shyly, her face red.
[Favorability +10]
Xu Mu was a bit surprised. After all the bold and fiery nights he'd shared with Ye Tong recently, she had never called him that before.
He supported them on each side and led them out of the private room, then took the elevator down.
It was late evening, and the restaurant was still bustling.
Countless men turned to stare at Xu Mu.
Every one of them looked filled with jealousy.
Damn—two stunning women at once? How arrogant could a man get!
Xu Mu helped the two into his car, settling them in the back seat before closing the door.
Then he drove toward Meng Wanyue's apartment.
When they arrived, Xu Mu parked on the roadside and helped Meng Wanyue out. "We're here."
"Thank you, President Xu…" Meng Wanyue staggered out of the car. "You two can go. I can go up myself."
"I'd better walk you upstairs," Xu Mu said, seeing how she nearly stumbled as she walked.
Grateful, Meng Wanyue led the way through the apartment complex, pointing out directions.
By the time they reached her building, she could barely lift her feet to climb the stairs.
Xu Mu rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You're that bad with alcohol?"
He moved behind her and wrapped an arm around her slender waist to support her up the steps.
"President Xu," she murmured softly, narrowing her eyes slightly, "how did you know I had a bug on me?"
"You're not an ordinary person," Xu Mu replied. "If I'm not mistaken, you came for Ye Tong and Ye Yu."
Of course, he already knew Meng Wanyue's real purpose—but he couldn't make it sound too precise.
"As expected of you, President Xu," Meng Wanyue said, exhaling softly. "How did you figure it out?"
Xu Mu thought for a moment, then smiled. "Remember at the trade market? You stood up for them when they were being bullied, even though I didn't tell you to interfere."
Meng Wanyue nodded thoughtfully.
"But at the fighting center, when that guy mocked me, you didn't react at all. I had to tell you to make a move before you did."
Xu Mu smiled as he pressed the elevator button. "That means, in your heart, they matter more to you than I do."
"Impressive," Meng Wanyue said, giving him a thumbs-up. Then she used that same thumb to press the button for the 16th floor. "President Xu, you're nothing like the man I was told to investigate."
"Can you tell me your real mission now?" Xu Mu asked softly.
He knew the answer, but hearing it directly from her mouth would mean something different.
If Meng Wanyue said it herself, it meant she trusted him more.
"I'm here to protect them," Meng Wanyue said quietly. "They are family of the Dragon King. And I… am one of the Dragon King's subordinates."
"Who is the Dragon King?" Xu Mu asked, feigning ignorance.
"He's a terrifying figure," she replied. "A ruler beyond our borders. It only took him three years to rise from obscurity to absolute dominance."
She sighed. "Recently, he learned that the Ye family had been annihilated, and their direct bloodline vanished from the world. He spent a long time searching for the Ye family patriarch, but found no trace at all."
Xu Mu secretly nodded. According to the novel's plot, the Ye family patriarch—Dragon King Ye Chen's adoptive father—had already been killed.
It made sense that the Dragon King couldn't find him.
"After that, the Dragon King changed his strategy," Meng Wanyue continued. "He began searching for his sisters—and eventually discovered they were in Jiangbei, living with the Xu family."
By the time she finished speaking, the elevator doors opened on the 16th floor.
"The Dragon King sent me ahead," she explained, "to see whether Ye Tong and Ye Yu were living well."
Xu Mu helped her out of the elevator. Meng Wanyue stopped at the door on the left, pressed her fingerprint, and opened it.
Inside, Xu Mu immediately spotted a telescope set up by the window.
"To spy on me?" he asked.
"Mhm…" Meng Wanyue looked a bit embarrassed.
"Did you report back to the Dragon King?" Xu Mu asked.
"I did," she nodded. "I told him they're doing great—and that the Xu family treats them well."
Xu Mu exhaled quietly. Hopefully, that answer would stall the Dragon King long enough for him to strengthen himself.
"Let me help you to your room."
He guided Meng Wanyue to her bedroom. But when he saw the open suitcase nearby, he rolled his eyes again.
Inside were a full set of tools—bugs, pinhole cameras, night-vision goggles, a tranquilizer gun, daggers, and more.
This woman really came prepared.
Meng Wanyue wobbled onto the bed, closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually steadied.
Then, all of a sudden, she began taking off her sweatpants.
Xu Mu froze on the spot.