Chapter 1140 - Man Of Integrity

Before midnight, Lu Zihao and Long Jinjing drove out of Shadow Winds headquarters. He also explained a bit more about the nature of his group. She became quiet when he outright told her that they were criminals. Although she already knew it deep inside after everything she witnessed earlier tonight, it was still quite a shock when he confessed it to her using his own words.

That was when she realized that she had willingly entered a completely new and different world from the regular one that she was used to because of her love for a man. Her mind still felt conflicted because everything Lu Zihao represented clashed against her moral values. Her heart, however, didn’t want to give him up again. She loved him so much that she was determined to make it work with him regardless of their incompatible worlds and moral values.

"Jinjing," he called, snapping her out of her stormy thoughts and feelings.

"Y-yes?"

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before refocusing his eyes on the road while driving. "I brought you to the headquarters so that the rest of my subordinates know that you’re my woman, someone that nobody should dare to touch or harm. If they dare, they’ll suffer the consequences."

Her heart jumped at the deadly threat in his tone, but she now understood that this was his way of life.

"I also want to warn you that even though they’re my subordinates, you should never fully trust any of them, including Shun or Robin. Humans are fickle creatures who’ll fucking betray each other if given the right motivation."

Long Jinjing knew that his words made total sense but it just pained her to think that he lived like this—not fully trusting others in general. It was such a sad and stressful way to live to be always on the lookout for anyone who might betray him. She couldn’t criticize him, though. In fact, it was a smart survival method. She was actually the naïve one for believing in the good of every person.

It was just that her heart couldn’t help but feel hurt upon realizing that he didn’t fully trust her either. Perhaps he didn’t trust anyone else in the world except for himself. Would she be able to make someone like him fall in love with her, too?

’He has already started opening up to you. He revealed an important part of the real him tonight. This means that he has begun to trust you.’

These thoughts fueled her determination to stick with him and attempt to persuade him that they belonged together despite their obvious incompatibility.

"I’ll keep your warning in mind," she promised.

He nodded.

"Nikolai?"

"Hm?"

"I think I already know the answer to this question but...I still want to hear it directly from you."

"What is it?"

"Does Little Sister Xiulan and Brother-in-law Liwei know that you’re...you know...like this?"

"...yeah."

Silence filled the car as the two of them were occupied with their own respective thoughts.

Lu Zihao was the one who broke the quietness between the two of them. He said, "You saw Ketchup and Bacon. My sister created Ketchup first and the brat has been assisting the couple in their own works ever since. The brat might be an annoying chatterbox who’ll talk your ears off if you let her, but she’s an excellent assistant who makes almost everything easier for them.

"Bacon was created more recently and his specialty is a bit different from Ketchup’s. Let’s just say that the little rascal’s skills are more in line with my work, that’s why my sister eventually allowed Bacon to work for me on a freelance basis."

Long Jinjing gasped, her eyes widening in both surprise and wonder. "You mean Bacon is part of Shadow Winds?"

"As a freelancer, yes. I pay a fucking premium for his salary with added bonuses for any extra work. Damn little money-grubber."

"Bacon is still a baby, Nikolai. Don’t be too hard on him and call him names like that. And also, if he’s excellent at doing his work, then I think that he deserves to be paid accordingly."

He gave her a side-eye and looked like he wanted to retort but decided to hold his tongue instead.

She didn’t notice this. "I feel like everything that happened today is so surreal. You, Shadow Winds, Ketchup and Bacon, even Little Sister Xiulan and Brother-in-law Liwei secretly knowing about all this. I’m afraid that if I sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow, I’ll discover that everything has been only just a dream."

"Everything is real, Jinjing. So fucking real that you’ll wish all this is just a dream."

"No!" She glared at him. "I won’t wish for that! Stop assuming how I’ll think! I have my own mind. I’ll think and feel the way I want!"

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "I’m a criminal, Jinjing. A. Fucking. Criminal."

"I know."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"You don’t know! What do you know?! Killing people isn’t the worst that I’ve done! I’m fucking evil! And you still want to stay with someone like me?! Are you fucking crazy?!"

"Yes! I’m crazy!" Long Jinjing burst into tears. "I’m crazy in love with you, Nikolai."

Lu Zihao cursed before quickly parking the car on the side of the empty road. Then he unfastened his seatbelt before grabbing the crying Long Jinjing into a tight embrace.

"Sorry," he murmured while using his fingers to wipe her tears in a clumsy manner. "I’m not angry at you. I’m fucking angry at myself."

"I...kn-know!" She clung to him and cried on his chest, soaking the front of his shirt almost in an instant.

"Don’t cry anymore."

"My tears won’t...s-stop."

He sighed and did his best to comfort her with his awkward patting and rubbing on her back.

After she calmed down enough, she looked at him with her teary eyes while gripping his shirt.

"You may be...evil just like you always tell me. But...I see s-so much more than that in you, Nikolai. In your own way, you’re a man of integrity who has your own set of principles which, yes, might not conform to the common laws of morality. I may not approve of everything you do especially with all the things you’ve shown me today...but I respect the man that you are in how you treat the important people in your life."