The person entering the room was none other than the woman whose entire body he had seen two days prior.
Bai Jing!
“It’s you?” Li Chonglou and Bai Jing spoke in unison.
Li Chonglou appeared calm, but his heart was so embarrassed he could dig his toes in.
He knew it was a woman from Fan Da mentioning the name Bai Jing, but he hadn't expected such a coincidence.
Truly, a narrow road for enemies.
Though no trouble had come his way for what happened that night, he didn't believe Bai Jing had completely forgotten.
After all, she was a woman, and no matter how proud and aloof, she was still a woman.
Bai Jing, on the other hand, was surprised and shocked. The mission Fan Da had assigned her was to assist an antique expert in infiltrating an international cultural relics smuggling group.
She could never have imagined that this antique expert would be Li Chonglou, the very same recruit who had just knocked Chen Yong unconscious.
And the one who had seen her body.
Wasn't this too much of a coincidence?
Moreover, hadn't he agreed to leave Xiong Ying?
It seemed everything was orchestrated by Fan Da.
In an instant, Bai Jing understood that the earlier sparring match was entirely within Fan Lei's control.
This made everything fall into place.
“It seems you two know each other, which makes things easier,” Fan Lei, with his sharp insight, chuckled upon seeing this. “Bai Jing, this time you are responsible for assisting Li Chonglou. Obey his command in all matters.”
“Fan Da, why him?” Bai Jing asked, her beautiful eyes narrowing with dissatisfaction.
She hadn't quite spoken her mind; what she meant was why she had to listen to Li Chonglou.
After all, he was just a recruit. While one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and he had defeated Chen Yong, it didn't mean he could lead her.
“Because he is proficient in antiques. Do you have a problem?” Fan Lei glanced at Bai Jing. “This mission isn't for you to fight, but to infiltrate!”
He knew Bai Jing’s personality too well – proud and self-assured.
Making her submit to others was indeed difficult, but this mission was extraordinary, requiring specialized skills.
They were all soldiers, proficient in the midst of gunfire and bullets, but far lacking in history, culture, and antique knowledge.
A single sentence rendered Bai Jing speechless.
Seeing her fall silent, Fan Lei continued, “Don’t underestimate this mission. These people are vicious and will do anything for money.”
“Furthermore, they have powerful backers. The organization hopes you can uncover that backer for me.”
“Root them out!”
“Understood?”
“Understood!” Bai Jing gave a standard military salute.
Satisfied, Fan Lei took out two file bags from the drawer and tossed them to them. “From now on, you are temporarily removed from Xiong Ying. Memorize this file, it is your new identity.”
Li Chonglou took the bag and opened the files inside, glancing at them.
He was quite surprised.
His name hadn't changed; he was still Li Chonglou, but now he was the second-generation heir of an antique collector in the capital.
His father, Li Shi, was a famous collector in the capital. He was an illegitimate son, and Li Shi had found him before falling gravely ill.
Li Shi had donated his fortune to the state but had passed on all his knowledge to him.
This Li Shi was renowned, a legendary figure in the 1990s and a senior in the industry. Li Chonglou had heard of him in his previous life.
He never expected to play the role of his illegitimate son.
He assumed Fan Lei had people to create a believable backstory for such a thing, making it impossible for ordinary people to discover.
It also fit his persona perfectly.
As for Bai Jing, after reading the information, her expression was rather unnatural, a mix of resentment and a rare hint of shame.
She was to play Li Chonglou’s girlfriend.
A personal trainer and bodyguard who had returned from abroad.
During the entire operation, they were to eat, drink, and sleep together.
This…
Although the young woman was a member of Xiong Ying, she was still pure and had never dated anyone.
Her heart was filled with a multitude of emotions.
“Leave after you’ve read it, don’t delay!” Fan Lei waved them away.
Bai Jing gave Li Chonglou a deep look and walked out of the room first.
Li Chonglou’s car, of course, could no longer be used. Zhuzi had already prepared a Beijing P-plated, non-Tian Land Cruiser for them.
Since Bai Jing was the bodyguard, she was naturally the one driving.
The two drove out of the camp and onto the highway.
Heading to their mission location—Shanghai Zhonghai.
Li Chonglou, looking out the window at the tall buildings of Yong'an in the distance, felt a pang of wistfulness.
He hadn't stayed long in Yong'an, the provincial capital. He had met friends like Ning Lang, Liu Pinger, and Lin Weiwei.
He had also gained a sister, Xiao Yun.
He had wanted to showcase his talents, but plans couldn't keep up with changes, and now he had to leave.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy as he silently thought, "Yong'an, I'll see you again after the mission returns!"
“Hey, what are you thinking about?” Bai Jing asked, interrupting his reverie as Li Chonglou had been silent for a while.
Li Chonglou snapped back to attention, glanced at Bai Jing, and asked instead of answering, “When we were sparring, I saw you standing with Liu Pinger. Are you close?”
“Hmph, if it weren't for Pinger’s sake, do you think you would have had a chance to spar with Chen Yong?” Bai Jing snorted coldly at his words.
Having been seen completely by Li Chonglou, she had been plotting how to deal with this brat that night.
But then she learned from Liu Pinger that he was a friend who had saved her life.
Coincidentally, she also recognized Liu Pinger’s capabilities and found them congenial, so the matter was put aside.
Thinking about it now, it was good that she hadn't sought retribution.
Otherwise, she might have been the one at a disadvantage, as knocking out Chen Yong in one move showed how terrifying the power contained within Li Chonglou’s unassuming body was.
After all, she was a woman and inherently at a disadvantage in terms of combat and physical fitness.
She really didn’t understand why the organization had arranged for her to be his bodyguard; it felt reversed.
“Tell me what you're good at. Since we're going to cooperate, we can't be completely in the dark,” Li Chonglou said with an “oh.” “I only know your surface; I don't understand your inner workings yet.”
This was a very ordinary statement, but to Bai Jing, it instantly changed its meaning.
What did he mean by only knowing the surface?
He had seen her entire body and was now making such sarcastic remarks.
She wanted to hit him!
Bai Jing felt a surge of shame and glared at Li Chonglou hatefully. “Show some respect. Although Fan Da told me to listen to you, it doesn't mean you can be so presumptuous.”
“Am I being presumptuous? I'm talking about work seriously,” Li Chonglou said, feeling helpless.
Seeing his innocent expression, Bai Jing didn’t know if it was true or not.
After being angered, she could only reply coldly, “I am proficient in disguise, psychology, and tactical planning.”
“Although I must listen to you during the operation, all action plans will be formulated by me.”
“I saw your tactical confrontation with Chen Yong; it was like child’s play.”
Unable to regain face through conversation, she could only attack Li Chonglou on professional grounds.
However, Li Chonglou was unfazed.
He had never been a soldier, so of course, he wouldn't know these things, but nothing in the world couldn't be learned.
Everything was a matter of practice making perfect.
There were no difficult things in the world, only those who dared not to try.
Except for certain things that truly required talent, it all depended on whether he was willing to learn.
However, since they were partners, he was too lazy to argue with Bai Jing, nor did he want to expend that mental energy.
He immediately agreed, “Whatever you say.”
Receiving this reply, Bai Jing finally showed a hint of satisfaction.
They hardly spoke much along the way, and Li Chonglou simply reclined his seat to catch up on sleep.
He had been severely tested by Chen Yong these past two days, on guard duty every night and training during the day; even an iron man couldn’t withstand it.
With over six hundred kilometers to Zhonghai, it was the perfect time to catch some sleep.
Seeing this, Bai Jing was also happy to have some peace and quiet.
When they arrived in Zhonghai, it was already around 8:30 PM. It was dark, and they directly booked a presidential suite at the hotel.
All expenses for this operation were provided by the organization.
To maintain Li Chonglou’s image as a second-generation heir of an antique collector, this money could not be spared.
Upon entering the room, Bai Jing’s expression immediately turned cold.
She threw her bag down and directly ordered, “From now on, I sleep on the bed, and you sleep on the floor.”
“At any time, you are not allowed to touch my bed, understand…”
*Bang*, before she could finish speaking, Li Chonglou had already collapsed onto the bed, a look of enjoyment on his face.
Enraging Bai Jing, her beautiful face turned icy, and she gritted her teeth, “Ruffian!”
Li Chonglou couldn’t be bothered with her. In this world, besides Jiang Yuxin, no one dared to glare at him.
“Either you sleep on the floor yourself, or we sleep together on the bed. Acting requires authenticity,” Li Chonglou teased her intentionally. “Haven't you seen on TV that many undercover agents go from acting to reality for authenticity?
“Sometimes, for the mission, you must be prepared to die. As a member of Xiong Ying, you should have this awareness, right?”
Hearing these words, Bai Jing’s pretty face grew colder, a cold mist rising in her eyes.
This guy was truly shameless to the extreme, yet her words left her unable to refute him.
As a soldier, orders came first, and everything else was secondary.
They were playing lovers, and if there was always a barrier between them, people would see it immediately.
This would be highly detrimental to infiltrating the cultural relics smuggling criminal group.
Perhaps they would truly have to act out their roles.
But her womanly pride still made her unable to compromise.
She could only take out another spare quilt from the closet and walk to the sofa in the living room, saying coldly, “I warn you, if you dare to touch me, don’t blame me for being impolite!”
Li Chonglou couldn’t help but chuckle secretly in the room. Bai Jing’s actions at this moment were no different from a primary school girl drawing a line between herself and her deskmate.
Combined with her icy demeanor, it instead revealed a hint of cuteness.
Although the presidential suite was large, there was only one bedroom and one bathroom.
Even though she was sleeping outside, if Bai Jing wanted to bathe, she had to go into the bedroom.
Li Chonglou then pretended to be asleep and refused to get off the bed.
She had no choice but to brace herself and bathe.
As she washed, she remembered that night when Li Chonglou had seen her entire body.
Her face instantly felt hot, and she couldn’t help but look towards the room through the frosted glass. She couldn't see anything, but she still felt uneasy.
Li Chonglou, lying on the bed, had no thoughts about Bai Jing at first.
But how could there be no reaction when she was bathing? It triggered memories, and he involuntarily recalled her appearance that night.
Her proud figure, her skin as white as jade…
He couldn't help but glance back.
This glance immediately made his eyes go wide.
From the inside, one couldn't see anything through the frosted glass, but from the outside, a silhouette could be clearly seen.
Although not clear, this hazy feeling was precisely what hooked people’s souls.