Chapter 435 - We Can't Blow Our Cover

Feng Lizhao was pretty sure that he looked like he was a deer caught in headlights at the moment but he quickly wiped the look off his face. "We have talked about this before."

"No," Feng Xuan insisted. "We haven't. All I know about is that it was something that relates to the mafia. But why. I want to know why. And why was mother involved? If it had been Qing Chen's father they were after, why did they attacked you? Why had it been me and mother and not Qing Chen and his siblings?"

Feng Lizhao rubbed on his forehead. Not this again. He couldn't believe that his own daughter was forcing him to relive that day. He almost died of a heart attack when he found out that his wife and his only, precious daughter had been taken from him.

"I have been working with Enigma even before you were born. Everything had been well with the rise of their popularity in their legal businesses. On the way it made a lot of enemies as expected. The Zookeeper had been one of those people. The Zookeeper wanted to join The Underground auctions to sell spoils of the animals that he poached in the wild. Qing Zihao refused to extend his welcome to The Zookeeper because he was against that—funny isn't it? He was never above letting people sink into their addictions with that deal with La Hiena but he was against animal cruelty."

Feng Xuan braced herself on her seat.

"The Zookeeper must have thought that one of the ways to get back to Enigma was through me. He decided to take you and your mother as hostages in an effort that would make me persuade Zihao to let him join The Underground. If not, he would be suffering a major loss because of the animals that he already killed. I think there had been a rhinoceros involved, a rare lion, and an almost extinct elephant."

"That's it?" 

Qing Lizhao was sure that this had been the first time Feng Xuan had heard of this story. It was true that he never told her anything about it. He thought it already made sense for her. "Yes, that was it."

"No other underlying reasons?"

"As far as I know, none."

Feng Xuan was clearly not buying the story. It was evident in her face. She wasn't believing a word from his lips. Well, there was nothing else that he would be able to do. He wouldn't be able to stop her daughter from the things that she wanted to do. She also had an enabler as a husband so, there was really nothing there other than tell her what he knew.

He didn't even want to mention the things that she did the night before as he thought that she wouldn't appreciate being watched over by her husband's men AND her father's men.

Feng Xuan looked at the edge of his desk, clearly thinking. He waited for her to sort out the details in her mind. If you were going to ask Feng Lizhao, he didn't also wanted to believe that story. But when they talked to some of the people that apparently survived from his daughter's mass manslaughter that night, they were all telling the same story. That The Zookeeper did that to get back to Enigma.

What else was he supposed to believe?

But…

"Is that everything?" Feng Xuan asked.

"I'd like to think so," Feng Lizhao answered. "I don't know anything else. You know that I hate lying to you, Xuan." He relaxed. "Is there anything else that you want to ask?"

"I can't think of anything else at the moment."

He nodded. "If there's anything more. You know where to find me." He picked up the phone. "How about some lunch? Aren't you hungry?"

"No," she stood up. "I have things to get to today." She leaned over and pressed a kiss on her father's cheek. "Another time?"

"Of course," he answered. "Another time."

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After Feng Xuan's back disappeared from his office door, Feng Lizhao turned his attention to the wedding picture on his desk. It had been a typical wedding day of the rich. They signed the papers with witnesses the day before then celebrated the next day. Her wife wore a elaborate dress. It costed a lot of money despite its traditional design. They seemed to have danced all day, barely giving other people to dance with either of them.

Now he looked at their picture with a certain sadness in his eyes.

All these years, he had been wondering when it all stopped being magical.

All these years, he had been thinking where he had gone wrong.

He slammed the picture frame down.

"You're the one gone and yet I'm the one dealing with all these problems."

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Ma Min had watched Feng Xuan leave the premises of Auntie's House. She made sure to lock the door behind her before she made her way through all the mess then up the stairs. The women were laid down on huge mattresses like widely-spaced sardines, sleeping.

Ma Min could vaguely remember when she had been in their position; serving drinks all night long, bringing food in trays, watching the other high ranked girls flirt their way to more money and stealing wallets and expensive watches from their clients. In some rooms, she would notice some of the weapons peeking from their hiding spots.

She shivered. She never wanted to go back there.

She was about to make her way back to her space when Auntie appeared from her bedroom. "What did you tell that girl?"

Ma Min turned and saw that Auntie had her green face mask on. Her arms were crossed over her chest. "I told her that I made a mistake."

"As you have," Auntie said in a reprimanding voice.

Ma Min bowed her head.

"Don't make another mistake mentioning Feng Xuan's mother to her. Understand?"

She nodded.

"We can't blow our cover."