A frown creased Ma Jianguo's forehead upon seeing that Pan Zhenghui had entered. "Chief, we ought to share weal and woe with Team Leader. How would it make sense for the three of us to work endlessly while she gets to take a break?'

"Cut the crap, there's a shortage of manpower at the Serious Crimes Investigation Unit. You guys are to report there whenever Xiaoning is not around. We're not using you for free labor anyway, you'll be paid your due in wages for serving the public," Pan Zhenghui said sternly.

"You must be great at comforting others, Chief. The total wage of the three of us combined is still far lesser than what Team Leader receives. Besides, we even have to slog our guts out. Life is so hard indeed," Ma Jianguo lamented, feeling a sudden sense of resentment towards society.

"You'll get a raise too if you're capable of cracking a case within just days. You'll also get to enjoy the privilege of coming to work as and when you please," Pan Zhenghui remarked sarcastically.

"Sigh, this is why you should never compare yourself to others for it'll only bring about unhappiness. Team Leader, please report back to work as soon as possible after you're done taking a break, we'd very much like to continue working with you. It feels great to be able to resolve cases," Ma Jianguo said with a sigh.

"I know you're feeling unjustly treated, but I can't keep working for the police endlessly. Too much fortune-telling is bad for my health, I would need to take breaks to recharge and recuperate every now and then. Besides, I have a life of my own as well, I can't possibly spend all my time doing this," An Xiaoning said, glaring at him in disdain.

"Yes, Xiaoning is right. Come back after you've gotten enough rest. There's no hurry, given how highly efficient you are," Pan Zhenghui agreed.

"It's getting late, we should all head home to rest," said An Xiaoning as she took a look at the time.

An Xiaoning hopped into her car and began driving home slowly. Several minutes into the journey, she caught a glimpse in the rearview mirror of a car which seemed to be tailing her.

She then stepped on the accelerator and began driving faster, only to observe that the car had also picked up its speed, following closely behind her.

Sensing impending danger, An Xiaoning began to feel flustered and overwhelmed with panic.

She gripped the steering wheel tightly and sped forward. After confirming that the car was indeed tailing her, she hurriedly gave Fan Shixin a call.

She continued to pick up her speed, weaving in and out of the heavy traffic on the roads.

An Xiaoning could not help but begin to feel increasingly anxious.

She had no choice but to calm herself down and continue moving forward.

Fan Shixin immediately brought some men with him to pick her up after answering her call.

She was stuck in traffic for a total of 20 minutes.

Finally, An Xiaoning had managed to get past the traffic while the car continued to follow closely behind. Just as it was about to catch up with her, Fan Shixin arrived in his car.

Upon sight of the sudden twist of circumstance, the car then turned around and left.

An Xiaoning could finally heave a sigh of relief.

"Don't forget to check up on that car when we get home."

"Got it," said Fan Shixin, who decided to take over the wheel upon seeing how frightened An Xiaoning was while the latter shifted to the passenger seat.

"It was negligence on my part, I should've sent someone to escort you. Young Madam, we've gotten news that an anonymous person had hired two hitmen with a hefty sum and they've infiltrated our country. Their main target is Young Sir. We don't rule out the possibility that the car earlier on belongs to them, although it's yet to be confirmed. Perhaps they're planning to start off with you," said Fan Shixin.

An Xiaoning turned to look at him and said, "Why didn't you tell me this earlier? No wonder I've been feeling ill at ease the past few days. So that explains it."

"Young Sir was afraid of startling you, so he instructed me to keep mum about it. But from tomorrow onwards, you'll have to bring some bodyguards along with you no matter where you go, just in case."

"Alright," said An Xiaoning, taking a sip from a bottle of mineral water.

An Xiaoning could not stop feeling worried even until she had returned to her bedroom. Her mind was occupied with the news of Jin Qingyan being the target of two hitmen.

Her stomach twisted into a knot upon knowing that he had become the target of assassination, though she could not quite figure why she was feeling that way.

Well, he was a person of status and the main stakeholder of such a developed company, after all. He must have a bunch of rivals who were dying to kill him.

She whipped out her mobile phone and proceeded to give him a call eagerly.

"Miss me already?" he asked in his ever-alluring and delicate voice.

"I miss you," An Xiaoning answered, gripping her phone tightly.

"What's the matter?" Jin Qingyan asked, puzzled at her strange reaction, for she would usually have bickered with him instead.

"I miss you and I want to see you right now. Come home as soon as you're done with work. Hurry."

"Alright." Her words had struck him in a sweet spot, causing his heart to flutter.

Jin Qinyan could not stop grinning from ear to ear after ending the call. Puzzled at his reaction, the elderly man asked, "Young Sir…"

"Why?"

"Your smile is getting pretty creepy."

Jin Qingyan stopped smiling and cleared his throat. "Let's continue where we left off and settle it tonight."

"You don't have to tire yourself out, Young Sir. We can continue tomorrow as well."

"Old Chang, I'll have to return home tonight," Jin Qingyan said in all seriousness.

"…"

An Xiaoning had a dream while she was asleep at night. She dreamed that she was taken to an unknown place with her eyes blindfolded and her limbs shackled to chains, leaving her with no means of moving at all.

In the dream, she felt as hopeless as a sheep that was waiting to be slaughtered. The overwhelming feeling of despair and helplessness jolted her awake, causing her to be unable to fall asleep for the rest of the night.

Having encountered the premonition of drowning in her dreams previously, she began to think that this too was another premonition for an impending disaster.

An Xiaoning was kept wide awake throughout the night, only managing to fall asleep after daybreak the next morning.

It was dawn when Jin Qingyan arrived back at home.

Thinking that she was already awake, he entered their bedroom, only to find that she was still in a deep sleep.

Jin Qingyan turned on the heater and headed downstairs for breakfast, after which he proceeded to bring her her share, which he then placed onto the table.

Standing beside the bed, a smile of pleasure formed on his face as he gazed at her adoringly.

He bent forward to kiss An Xiaoning on the cheek, waking her up from her sleep as she opened her eyes slowly.

An Xiaoning could not believe her eyes when she woke up to the sight of him.

"You're back?"

"Yes, because you summoned me. I've brought you breakfast," he answered while adjusting her pillow for her and caressing her face.

Kneeling on the bed, she leaned forward to give him a big hug while inhaling his unique scent. "You came home for me?"

"Yes, for you."

"I have to use the washroom, I'm so close to peeing my pants."

She pushed him away and zoomed towards the washroom after putting on her home slippers.

Jin Qingyan burst into laughter at the amusing sight of her being in such a hurry.

After washing up, An Xiaoning exited the washroom and pulled her long locks back into a ponytail before removing the lid of her bottle of toner. "You're going to bed in broad daylight?" she asked, watching him undress himself in the reflection of the mirror at the dressing table.

"I didn't manage to catch a wink at all last night. Care to join me?"

"You have to wait for me to finish my breakfast first," she said with pouted lips as she slathered some lotion onto her face.

"Sure, no hurry, I'll wait for you," he answered, leaning against the bedhead while keeping his eyes fixed on her.

"Why are you staring at me like that? You look like you're going to devour me."

"Your sixth sense is pretty accurate, eh?" He reached a hand out to caress her waist as his hormones began raging.