From rejecting the beautiful female CEO to becoming extremely powerful

Ye Zhiwei's ears turned even redder, and her hand moved up his collar, stopping at the side of his neck.

"Lu Yunzhou, you've gotten bolder and bolder lately."

She held onto Lu Yunzhou's collar tightly, pulling him forward half a step. Her breath fell on his chin, and his ears were already burning.

Lu Yunzhou looked down at her, his palm against the wall, about to speak, when the door lock clicked softly.

Gu Nanqiao pushed open the study door, and Bai Wantang followed behind her.

The two of them stopped at the same time.

Ye Zhiwei immediately let go and straightened her wrinkled collar.

Her earlier initiative had completely vanished, and she even avoided eye contact.

Gu Nanqiao stood there holding the blueprints, her expression changing several times before she finally raised her hand to cover half her face.

Bai Wantang glanced at the entryway and said in a flat tone, "Nan Qiao, go to the kitchen and get the first-aid kit."

Gu Nanqiao didn't ask any more questions and turned to go into the kitchen.

Ye Zhiwei stood by the wall, her toes lightly touching the ground.

"Wantang, you've come back at just the right time."

After she finished speaking, she looked down to check her cuffs.

Bai Wantang placed the paper bag on the counter and took out a bottle of medicine: "I have something to say to Lu Yunzhou."

Ye Zhiwei glanced at the two of them, then walked into the living room, leaning against the wall.

Lu Yunzhou followed her and pulled out a chair for her.

"Your leg isn't healed yet, so try not to stand too much."

After Ye Zhiwei sat down, she casually pushed the glass of cold water in front of him, her eyes still avoiding his gaze.

Bai Wantang waited until she heard the sounds of rummaging through the kitchen before pulling out another chair and sitting down.

She tucked her long hair behind her ears, revealing a small old scar on the side of her neck.

The wound had scabbed over, but thin marks remained at the edges.

"I'm here today to say only one thing."

Bai Wantang raised her eyes and said decisively, "I'll tell you about our past."

Lu Yunzhou held the cup, not urging her.

Bai Wantang remained silent for a few seconds, then pressed her palm against the edge of the paper bag.

They used to belong to an overseas organization called the Raven Feather Squad 12.

The team has a total of twelve people.

The original members came from different places.

Some escaped the pursuit, some survived the war zone, and some were sold overseas as commodities.

Sister Lan took them away one by one, gave them food, provided them with a place to sleep, and taught them how to survive.

Disassembling guns, shooting, hand-to-hand combat, camouflage, interrogation, intelligence identification—you have to learn everything.

If you don't learn it, you'll die in the mission.

"Sister Lan saved us."

Bai Wantang lowered her eyes, pressing her fingers against the old wound: "She also trained us to be people who could kill."

The team was assigned missions targeting thugs within the underground forces.

Grey Tower is the most difficult one to deal with.

They are responsible for cleaning up traitors, drug dealers, human trafficking gangs, and those who operate behind the scenes in dirty work.

There is a rule in the Raven Feather Twelve Squads that ordinary people cannot touch them.

This rule has both saved and harmed them.

In one mission, the target hid in a residential area.

The team spent two whole days trying to catch their opponent.

At the end of the operation, three team members were injured, and one never returned.

Bai Wantang spoke calmly, but her voice was much lower than before.

Twelve people set off, but fewer and fewer returned alive.

Some collapsed at the dock, some died on the mountain road, and some didn't even leave behind a body.

They continued their mission with the belongings left behind by their comrades, their hands becoming increasingly stained with blood, and the number of people around them who could be spoken to dwindling.

Several years later, only a few members survived.

Even Sister Lian began to change her plans.

They want to quit.

I left my life overseas, returned to Sheng'an, and found a place to settle down.

This statement is easy to say, but difficult to put into practice.

The Raven Feather Twelve Squads have offended too many forces. The remaining members of the Gray Tower have been investigating them, and their other enemies have not stopped either.

One by one, the channels that once concealed their identities were cut off.

Usable accommodations were targeted, people who could be contacted disappeared one after another, and even immigration records were tampered with.

After they returned to Sheng'an, their lives did not settle down.

"So that's why you came to me?"

Lu Yunzhou put down the cup and placed his hands on his knees.

Bai Wantang did not evade the question: "Initially, that was indeed one of the reasons."

They investigated Lu Yunzhou.

He was discharged from the military, had no connections, and was not restrained by his old organization, yet he still managed to survive from a state where all his meridians were severed.

At that time, Lu Yunzhou was just an ordinary person, but he possessed potential that they couldn't understand.

He had no vested interests with the old forces in Sheng'an, and no one could use his family or organizational connections to control him.

Such a person is suitable to be a reliable backer.

Bai Wantang put it very bluntly.

The sound of water in the kitchen stopped.

Gu Nanqiao stood by the door, holding a medicine box in her hand, her expression serious.

Ye Zhiwei lowered her eyes and pressed her palms against her knees.

Lu Yunzhou looked at Bai Wantang: "You approached me initially to leverage my power."

"right."

Bai Wantang gripped the paper bag tightly.

Lu Yunzhou didn't get angry; he simply asked, "And now?"

Bai Wantang looked up to meet his gaze.

At that moment, her hand, which was gripping the bag, stopped.

The situation is different now.

Lu Yunzhou shielded them from pursuit, took the blame for Ye Zhiwei, and always put himself at the forefront in every conflict.

He never pressed them about their origins, nor did he use their life-saving grace as leverage for other things.

They initially wanted to use his influence to survive, but later they came to see him as someone they could truly stand shoulder to shoulder with.

"Now, we're willing to bring trouble to you."

After Bai Wantang finished speaking, her Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "The people chasing us will also find you. If you find it troublesome, we can leave today."

Ye Zhiwei raised her head, her brows furrowed.

Gu Nanqiao placed the medicine box on the table, resting her hand on the lid, without saying a word.

Lu Yunzhou leaned back in his chair and tapped his finger on the table.

He already has enough troubles around him.

Nanwan Old Port, Jubaozhai, the Chu family, and all the forces watching him—any one of these events could implicate a whole host of people.

But when Bai Wantang mentioned leaving, his heart sank a little.

"Once you're staying here, you're considered one of us."

Lu Yunzhou looked up at her: "If something happens to our own people, I won't push you out."

Bai Wantang stared at him without replying.

Lu Yunzhou picked up the medicine on the table and twirled it in his palm: "Whoever comes after you pays the price. If you have a grudge, tell me your name. We can talk if we can, otherwise we'll fight."

Gu Nanqiao removed her hand from the medicine box lid.

Ye Zhiwei leaned back in her chair, her shoulders relaxing a bit.

Bai Wantang looked down at the bottle of medicine, her gaze lingering for a long time.

She had prepared a lot of things to say, to explain how much trouble they could cause, and to illustrate how difficult the Grey Tower was to deal with.

These words are no longer relevant at this point.

"You're not asking about the consequences?"

Bai Wantang raised her face, her voice lowering slightly.

Lu Yunzhou picked up the medicine box and placed it next to Ye Zhiwei's legs: "Asking won't make you disappear."

His tone was straightforward: "Since you're willing to stand behind me, I'll shield you from some of the attacks."