Arranged marriage, love blossoms; a fiercely devoted soldier dotes on her alone.

"Hehe, I didn't say anything, you can figure it out yourself. I'm just wondering, I saw it all, didn't you notice anything? Or were you captivated by Deng Ying's beauty?"

Xia Keke said with a smile.

Xiao Zhan scoffed, "Tch, you'd be better off not saying anything at all. If it's true, it's true; if it's not, it's not."

Xia Keke grinned and said, "The sexiest thing about a man isn't his physique, but his brain. A man with vision and insight is the most attractive. Xiao Zhan, are you that kind of man?"

Xiao Zhan: I don't know if it is or isn't. You decide whether it is or isn't.

Seeing that Xiao Zhan wasn't falling for it, Xia Ke said, "This is so boring. You're not cooperating at all. It's not fun."

Just then, a group of men and women walked in through the door. One of them saw Xiao Zhan and immediately ran over, exclaiming excitedly, "Brother Zhan, I told you you were here! Bai Zerui and the others said you weren't. Old Bai, a bet's a bet. Tonight, it's Buckingham Palace all-inclusive. No cheating!"

Xiao Zhan called out to the newcomers, "Kong Zhixiang, Bai Zerui, have you both come to pay your respects to Brother Zhi?"

Kong Zhixiang: "Yes, we came to pay our respects to Brother Zhi. Brother Zhi always took good care of us."

At this moment, Deng Ying came over and said, "Brother Zhan, please take care of these brothers."

Then he bowed slightly to everyone and said, "Dear relatives and friends, my elder brother has passed away. Please forgive me for any shortcomings in our hospitality."

Everyone returned the greeting and said in unison, "Please accept our condolences!"

After greeting everyone, Deng Ying said to Xia Keke, "Sister Keke, I need your help with something."

Xia Keke: "Okay!"

So the two went into the room.

At this point, the host who was maintaining order at the Deng family's residence came over and guided everyone to the mourning hall to offer incense, wine, and prayers...

"Clatter."

Xiao Zhan lit a cigarette and looked at Deng Zhi's portrait, recalling the words Deng Zhi had said to him before he died. He couldn't help but feel sad. One second his brother was laughing and joking, and the next he was separated from Deng Zhi by death, never to be seen again.

"Xiao Zhan."

Then someone called him.

Xiao Zhan turned around and saw that it was Bai Zexiang. He quickly stepped forward and greeted him, "Hello, Brother Xiang. You've come to pay your respects to Brother Zhi too."

Bai Zexiang once helped Xiao Zhan and Deng Zhi in Iraq...

Therefore, Xiao Zhan always remembered his kindness and was very grateful to him, always wanting to find an opportunity to have a good talk with him.

Moreover, he never understood what Bai Zexiang's true identity was besides his official department-level position.

Otherwise, why would he always be there for me when I need help?

Bai Zexiang seemed to have figured out what Xiao Zhan was thinking.

He said, "I need to talk to you after I finish my prayers."

Xiao Zhan quickly replied, "Okay, Brother Xiang, I'll wait for you."

Bai Zexiang nodded and stepped into the mourning hall.

Just then, Bai Zerui and his group finished their prayers and walked out of the mourning hall. When the princes saw Bai Zexiang, they all stopped and respectfully greeted him, "Greetings, Brother Xiang."

Bai Zexiang simply nodded and walked into the mourning hall without stopping.

Kong Zhixiang walked up to Xiao Zhan and said, "Brother Zhan, it's been a long time since we had a drink together. The brothers all miss you."

Bai Zerui: "Brother Zhan, tonight I'm treating you to a whole range of dishes at Buckingham Palace. I guarantee you'll have a blast."

Xiao Zhan: "Thanks, but I won't go. I have other things to do. Have fun!"

Bai Zerui: "Brother Zhan, what did my older brother just say to you?"

Xiao Zhan glanced at Bai Zerui sideways: "Why don't you just ask your older brother?"

Bai Zerui chuckled awkwardly, "Hehe, Brother Zhan, just pretend I didn't ask. Oh, by the way, Brother Zhan, you know about the unexpected death of Huang Pengfei, the CEO of Pengrun Group, right?"

Xiao Zhan: "I know, so what?"

Bai Zerui looked around and gestured to the others with his eyes. The others understood and immediately spread out, surrounding Xiao Zhan, Bai Zerui, and Kong Zhixiang in the middle.

Bai Zerui lowered his voice and said, "Huang Pengfei's newly established Flying Gang is the former Dragon Gang. After Yan Wenlong died, Huang Pengfei took over the Dragon Gang and even changed its name to Flying Gang. But not long after, Huang Pengfei died. Brother Zhan, now Brother Zhi is also dead. You are the number one gangster in Beijing. Can you hand over the Dragon Gang to us brothers to manage?"

Xiao Zhan raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you think the underworld is fun?"

Kong Zhixiang: "Brother Zhan, of course we know that the underworld is risky. If we don't play it right, we can get killed. But the current economic climate is bad, and business is tough. As the saying goes, a horse won't get fat without night grass. The brothers want to try a different path. We hope Brother Zhan will support us."

Just as Xiao Zhan was about to speak, he saw Bai Zexiang walk out.

So he said, "Let's talk about this later. Brother Xiang wants to talk to me about something. Why don't you all talk to Brother Xiang about this together? If he agrees, I have no objection."

Bai Zerui and Kong Zhixiang immediately shook their heads like rattles, saying in unison, "No, no, let's not talk anymore, Brother Zhan, we'll go first, contact us when you have time."

After saying that, the two of them quickly left with a group of princes.

Judging from their expressions, they seemed very afraid of Bai Zexiang.

Bai Zexiang walked over and asked, "Xiao Zhan, what did my second son say to you?"

Xiao Zhan stated frankly, "They have taken over the Dragon Gang."

Bai Zexiang: "Xiao Zhan, I was just about to tell you this. The Dragon Gang can't go on like this. After Deng Zhi fell ill, he lost interest in managing the Dragon Gang. After Yan Wenlong died, he made Huang Pengfei the boss. But Deng Zhi had no idea that Huang Pengfei was also Liu Shiyuan's man. In the end, he almost died at Liu Shiyuan's hands. I discovered it in time and called Deng Zhi. Deng Zhi immediately shot and killed Huang Pengfei. But I didn't expect that Liu Shiyuan had planted a lot of explosives in Villa No. 18 at the hot spring resort. Deng Zhi was eventually killed by the shock wave of the explosion. It was his fate to die like this."

Xiao Zhan: "Brother Xiang, I was right in front of Deng Zhi before he died. He told me everything. Also, the drone team was also brought in by you to help him. I was wondering before where he got so many drones."

Bai Zexiang did not deny it, nodding and saying, "However, I still underestimated Liu Shiyuan's strength and ability."

"Otherwise, Deng Zhi might not have died."

"Why!"

Xiao Zhan sighed and said, "There were so many people at the scene. Everyone else was fine, but Brother Zhi was killed by the shockwave that shattered his internal organs. I can only say that he was destined to suffer this calamity."

"Brother Xiang, can I ask you a question?"

Bai Zexiang raised an eyebrow and said, "Of course, go ahead and ask."

Xiao Zhan: "Who exactly are you?"

Bai Zexiang stared into Xiao Zhan's eyes and said calmly, "My name is Bai Zexiang, a department-level cadre in a central ministry."

"Haha, what's wrong? Are you going to do a background check on me?"

Xiao Zhan said somewhat awkwardly, "Brother Xiang, you know that's not what I meant. You've been there to help me and Brother Zhi several times. I asked Brother Zhi about this before, but he didn't say anything. He just told me to ask you in person when I had the chance."

"Clatter."

Bai Zexiang lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said, "Xiao Zhan, I can't tell you my hidden identity yet."

"However, we are definitely friends, not enemies."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have helped you and Deng Zhi."

Xiao Zhan nodded, knowing that asking any further questions would be pointless.

But one thing is certain: Bai Zexiang is on my side, and he might even be carrying out the Dragon Shield Project just like me.

Xiao Zhan: "Brother Xiang, you said you wanted to see me about something."

"What exactly happened?"