Hong Kong film: The cop backs down, the ladies beg me to check his license.

Cheng Silin's expression changed drastically, and she blurted out, "How did you know?!"

Yuan Haoyun felt a buzzing sound in his head, as if he had been hit hard by a hammer. He closed his eyes in pain and covered his mouth with his hand. Ye Tian was right... he really had accidentally killed his own brother.

A surge of emotions—a mixture of shock, regret, and rage—rushed to his head, making his eyes even redder. Without a word, he turned and strode toward Chen Xinjian's office, pushing the door open without knocking.

"Sir! I need an explanation!"

Chen Xinjian was looking down at his documents when he heard the sound. He looked up and saw Yuan Haoyun's face, and his brows immediately furrowed. "Didn't I tell you to go talk to Mr. Ye? What happened to you?" As he spoke, he quickly winked at the door, signaling him to be mindful of his appearance.

Yuan Haoyun whirled around and saw his colleagues in the lobby furtively glancing at him again. His anger finally boiled over, and he yelled at them, "Haven't you ever seen a boss talking to his subordinates?! Get back to work!"

Everyone shrank back in fright and quickly lowered their heads, not daring to even glance at him out of the corner of their eye this time.

Yuan Haoyun slammed the door shut with a bang, then quickly pulled the blinds shut, completely blocking out the outside view.

Chen Xinjian's expression turned serious as he looked at Yuan Haoyun: "Yuan Haoyun, what on earth are you doing? I asked you to see Mr. Ye, why are you acting like you've just been through a war? Is Mr. Ye alright?"

Yuan Haoyun said irritably, "He's perfectly fine. He's the one who injured me. I never expected that guy to be a Bajiquan master; he's really tough."

Chen Xinjian was startled and took two steps forward to examine the injuries on his face closely: "Are you alright? How badly are you hurt?"

"It's nothing, just a minor injury." Yuan Haoyun said calmly, "Mr. Ye said that when Bajiquan really wants to hit someone, they wrap their arms around the body and beat them up close. He just pushed me away; he didn't hit me hard."

Chen Xinjian immediately flew into a rage, pointing his finger at him: "This isn't even hard enough? Look at your face, it's practically a dye shop!"

Ignoring his anger, Yuan Haoyun took another breath and lowered his voice: "Sir, thank you for your concern."

Chen Xinjian disagreed: "You are my most capable subordinate, it is only natural for me to care about you."

"The most capable?" Yuan Haoyun gave a bitter laugh, his voice filled with suppressed pain. "If you really believe me, why didn't you tell me during the last operation that there were our own people in the teahouse? I killed one of our brothers with my own hands! At that time, you even argued with me, which was unusual for you. I thought you were angry that I didn't leave any survivors so you couldn't report back to your superiors... Turns out, you were grieving for the brothers who sacrificed themselves."

Chen Xinjian's expression changed drastically. He grabbed Yuan Haoyun's arm, his voice urgent and low: "Who told you?!"

Yuan Haoyun's heart sank. He rubbed his swollen, burning cheeks hard, grimacing in pain without stopping. "I really...killed my own brother. But sir, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Chen Xinjian also got angry, shaking off his arm, his voice rising with agitation: "Didn't I tell you? How many times have I told you, the operation must leave survivors! Don't act recklessly! And what did you do? You rushed in and started firing, not caring about anything! You're alright, but what about the brothers? By the time I got there... it was too late!"

Yuan Haoyun couldn't help but growl, "Bullets don't have eyes! If I had known there were our own people among them, I wouldn't have fired even if ten criminals had escaped!"

The two glared at each other, and the air in the office seemed to freeze, so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

After a long while, almost simultaneously, their shoulders slumped, and their tense standoff dissipated. What's the point of arguing now that the person's gone?

Yuan Haoyun spoke first, his voice hoarse: "Sir, I'm sorry."

Chen Xinjian waved his hand, his expression still grim. Both of them felt a tightness in their chests when the topic of last month was brought up.

Yuan Haoyun looked at Chen Xinjian and said sincerely, "Sir, our team is always investigating major cases. If any undercover agents are involved in operations in the future, could you... at least let me know? I understand the rules and will never leak information to a second person. I just don't want... I don't want this to happen again."

Chen Xinjian shook his head, his tone heavy: "That's it. There won't be any more arrangements like that in the near future."

Yuan Haoyun said in a low voice, "I just met Mr. Ye."

As he spoke, he casually picked up a white rose from Chen Xinjian's desk and held it up to him. "What do you say about this?"

Upon seeing the white rose, Chen Xinjian's face turned deathly pale, and he instinctively took a half-step back. "Mr. Ye even...knows this?"

Yuan Haoyun nodded sullenly.

Chen Xinjian sighed helplessly, pulled Yuan Haoyun to a corner further inside the office, and said in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, "It's not that I don't want to tell you. You know how dangerous undercover work is; they could be exposed at any time. I was thinking... waiting for the right time before telling you."

Yuan Haoyun sighed, his voice tinged with worry: "Sir, how can you guarantee that I won't encounter unexpected situations while I'm on a case? What if I run into an undercover colleague who's on a mission..."

Chen Xinjian was speechless; he opened his mouth but couldn't say anything immediately.

He was silent for a moment, then looked at Yuan Haoyun with a complicated expression: "Do you already know... who sent the white roses?"

Yuan Haoyun pointed to his swollen cheek and smiled bitterly: "This is the news I got after getting a beating."

Chen Xinjian grabbed him, his voice even more urgent: "Did Mr. Ye tell you who it was?"

Yuan Haoyun also lowered his voice to the lowest level, enunciating each word clearly: "Uncle Hai's right-hand man, Jiang Lang."

Chen Xinjian was struck dumb, frozen in place, not moving or speaking for a long time.

After a long pause, he seemed to come to his senses and said fiercely, "You keep this to yourself! Don't tell anyone! Do you know what situation Jiang Lang is in right now!"

Yuan Haoyun nodded vigorously: "I know!"

Uncle Hai is a notorious arms dealer in Hong Kong, ruthless and with a deeply entrenched network of influence. Jiang Lang's infiltration of his inner circle is akin to walking a tightrope over a precipice.

Chen Xinjian frowned and asked again, "Did you find out from Mr. Ye who else in the police academy is...?"

Yuan Haoyun shook his head regretfully: "No. Mr. Ye said that Han Chen has a knack for selecting people, and these undercover agents don't even know each other. He also said that Han Chen once toasted seven people in front of the Eight-Faced Buddha and said a few words."

Chen Xinjian's eyes narrowed: "Mr. Ye never speaks nonsense. There must be a reason he specifically mentioned this; it might be helpful in solving the case. What did he say?"

Yuan Haoyun recalled for a moment and slowly repeated: "Han Chen said to the seven people: 'My master once told my fate, saying that my success would be built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers. But I don't believe in fate. I believe that the path one takes is one's own decision. I've paved the way for you. I wish you all... a safe journey.'"

Chen Xinjian's face darkened instantly, and he forced out the words through clenched teeth: "One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand? Does Han Chen really think he's a tyrant? Does he think he can last forever?"

Yuan Haoyun looked at Chen Xinjian and said seriously, "I think these words must have had a profound impact on those undercover agents. Perhaps... we can start from this point and try to find them."

---

Portland Street, a nightclub in Shanghai.

The lighting was a warm, dark red, and the air was thick with the smells of cigarettes, alcohol, and cheap perfume. The music was so loud it made your chest tingle. Thirteen Sister, wearing a fitted red cheongsam, waved to Ye Tian from afar as he entered, the bracelet on her wrist jingling.

"Tian! Over here!"

Ye Tian raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping across the private room. Besides Thirteen Sister, Prince, Han Bin, and Liang Kun were also there. Several empty beer bottles and glasses were scattered on the coffee table, and the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts. "Oh, are you big shots having a little meeting here?" he said casually, walking over and pulling out an empty chair to sit down.

Han Bin, holding his wine glass, looked at him with a smile: "Ah Tian, ​​you look so happy, did you find some money?"

Ye Tian chuckled, leaning back into the sofa to find a comfortable position. "Money's in the bag, of course I'm in a good mood. I just finished talking to Mr. Jiang, and Fatty Li backed down and begged for peace."

The private room fell silent for a moment. Prince, Han Bin, and Thirteen Sister were all stunned for a second, then turned to look at Liang Kun.