"The mission was sent out late by one minute." Yang Feng did not raise his head when Chen Gaonan walked in with a cup of coffee.

Chen Gaonan carefully placed it onto the clean and organized desk. "I'm sorry, Boss. I hesitated." When he saw the steam blowing off the coffee was becoming small wisps, he broke out in cold sweat. Damn it, the coffee would taste drastically different.

Yang Feng didn't touch the coffee nor spared his secretary his attention. He was busy signing off documents and overseeing the progress of projects that required his scrutiny.

"Boss, if I may comment about the mission…" Chen Gaonan did not want to come off as rude or stepping out of line. Even so, he was willing to place his boss' safety over his own life.

"Go on." Yang Feng commanded with his head buried into the paperwork. He was slacking off a recently. Currently, he was on his way to completing all of the paperwork for this week and the next.

Usually, he would work from sunrise to midnight. However, with the desire to bake many buns, he began coming to work later and leaving earlier than usual. This placed a dent in his workaholic routine. At least, he was getting the proper rest he needed to function.

With him out of the office very early, the employees could take a breather. All of them were too diligent to leave before their boss did. There would be some overachievers that tried to stay as late as their boss, but no one ever came close and would eventually just go home.

"I understand you will use the Young Miss as a cover-up for why you're planning to abduct Xia Mengxi, but I think this might raise suspicion."

"I know." Yang Feng already predicted Yang Mujian's reaction. While other people will view it as getting revenge for Yang Ruqin, the old man would be smart enough to see past the lies. If there was anyone smart enough to make the connections, it would be Yang Mujian.

Getting rid of Xia Mengxi would be like killing two birds with one stone. A thorn will be leaving Zhao Lifei's side and she would finally have her payback. He did not realize the reality of the picture. Holding petty grudges that leads to nowhere but self-destruction was not something Zhao Lifei desired to do. The longer she held onto the ropes of her past, the more it would hurt her.

Yang Mujian will think his grandson was getting too weak by going after a commoner, and a woman at that. She was the easiest target around. Going after her was like a dragon chasing after a rabbit he could easily outrun.

"There will be a change of plans." Yang Feng leisurely said. He predicted Chen Gaonan would speak up about this issue. If Yang Mujian became suspicious, the first thing he would do is point fingers at Zhao Lifei. "Call the men back." He ordered Chen Gaonan who nodded his head. "Next, put a bounty out for the mistress's head." Chen Gaonan noted everything inside of his brain.

If they were going to put out a target, he already had the plans of contacting a smaller gang to do it — one that would have zero affiliations with the Yang triad. The money would never be an issue, however, they cannot raise the prices too high or else it would be suspicious. Why would a small gang have that much money?

"Understood, sir." Chen Gaonan bowed and waited for another command.

"That is all." Yang Feng gruffly said, all the while still focused on the work in front of him. He checked the time and decided to speed up his work. He wanted to visit Zhao Lifei sooner and maybe take her home. He remembered she didn't like hospital settings and decided the best idea would be taking her home. Nurturing over her would be the private doctor of the Yang family.

Zhao Lifei stirred on the bed, dazed and disheveled. She groggily rolled over, her body aching from sleeping in an odd position. A sneeze and then a snore shook her away. She regained her conscience and finally remembered what happened before the nap.

Her and Yang Ruqin were watching marathons after marathons of movies, so much so, that they were lulled to sleep with a movie playing as background noise. Popcorn littered the bed and floor, small kernels digging into her sides.

Zhao Lifei sat up and stretched her stiffened body, letting out a loud, long yawn. She looked to her right where Yang Ruqin was snuggled into the bed, her body curled into a ball.

Zhao Lifei's lips twitched, trembling when a smile was breaking loose. Yang Ruqin was hugging a half-filled bowl of popcorn like it was a teddy bear. Even in her sleep, she had something to do with food.

"Little piglet." Zhao Lifei poked Yang Ruqin's nose. Her smile slipped when she saw Yang Ruqin's tightly clenched eyes and a grimace on her face. Was she experiencing a nightmare?

"No…" Yang Ruqin whimpered in her dream, a sole tear slipping out of her eyes. "You don't… love me." She struggled to speak, choking out the words. "You did it again… Being an alcoholic isn't an excuse…" Tears freely rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto the mattress.

Zhao Lifei's eyes grew wider. The unexpected turn of events kicked her body into action. She placed a hand on Yang Ruqin's forearm and began to shake her awake. "Qinqin, wake up." Her brows knitted together. Desperation sank in when Yang Ruqin remained unresponsive.

"It's just a dream, come on." Zhao Lifei's small shakes became frequent and rougher. She treated Yang Ruqin's unresponsive body like an old rag doll with loose limbs.

Eventually, Yang Ruqin groggily woke up. "H-huh…?" She made another noise, indescribable and disorientated. "What… happened?" She hummed, using her hand to brush away the wetness of her cheek.

Yang Ruqin recounted the dream she just had. She wished it was just a dream and not a figment of the past. She dropped her gaze and stared at her hands. It doesn't hurt. Her heart doesn't hurt. She continued to pester her brain, lying to herself about the aching in her chest.

"You were crying in your dream." Zhao Lifei casually commented, hoping her words would prompt a story of some sort. She was at ease and constantly lying on the bed, careful of the popcorn bits. Some were digging into her back, but the memory-foam cushioned the irritation.

"Y-yeah." Yang Ruqin poked at one of the perfectly cooked popcorn that was miraculously not crushed by any of their weight. She was blankly staring at the fluffy white popcorn that reminded her of the clouds on the day of the break-up. She was attempting to make as little eye contact as possible with Zhao Lifei who was comfortably settled in her position with both arms crossed under her head.

"Was it a memory or a dream?"

"..." Yang Ruqin lowered her creased eyebrows, a sad smile dangling on her face. "A memory." Her voice was barely above a whisper. She flicked the popcorn away. The past was in the past. Why dwell on it any longer?

"Of?"

"I think you already know." Yang Ruqin's guard was lowered bit by bit.

"Hm," Zhao Lifei thought about the choices. There was only one. She was not going to mention his name. She paused to think about her next response. In the end, she settled with a simple, "I see."

"You're not going to ask about him?" Yang Ruqin touched her neck, rubbing her fingers on the smooth flesh. She threw her Feifei a sideways glance and saw the genuine smile on her lips.

"Little one, you wanted time. I will give you as long as you need." Even if Zhao Lifei was not a patient person by heart, she did not mind waiting for Yang Ruqin. Opening up about a relationship takes a lot of time and preparation. As someone with a horrible relationship in the past, she understood Yang Ruqin the most.

To Yang Ruqin, Zhao Lifei's tranquil voice resembled that of a comforting older sister whom you could always rely on. Her other friends would pressure her for juicy gossip, but Zhao Life was never like that. Their friendship did not revolve around gossip, but more on boundaries and understanding of one another.

They sat in comfortable silence whilst staring into space. After the longest time, Yang Ruqin finally said, "It was about Yu Pingluo."