"I want to be your bodyguard." Over the past few nights, she had been practicing the combat skills that had surfaced in her mind. She was confident that her skills were top-notch, and she also discussed with Qiang the possibility of trying out some shooting. Since she had to gamble, she decided to bet on herself.

"You are very confident in your abilities?" Qiang's eyes flashed with a glimmer. In their line of work, they were always on guard against undercover cops infiltrating.

Since this woman had been rescued, many in the upper echelons of the base had suspected that she was an undercover cop. Her unusual appearance, the fact that she was injured, floating in the icy, cold seawater, and not only did she not collapse but also recovered surprisingly quickly—all of these were suspicious.

Anything abnormal is usually sinister, so it was no wonder everyone was suspicious of her.

However, no matter what Qiang had thought before, he never expected Hua Yan to directly ask to be his bodyguard, and with such determination, like a drawn sword exuding a chilling presence.

Whether this sharp sword could become a deathly killing sword was something Qiang needed to plan carefully.

Without changing his expression, Qiang replied, "In a few days, I'll arrange for someone to test your skills. In the meantime, take care of your body. If you need anything, you can ask Ah Jin to handle it." After a pause, he added, "You can also tell Ah Shui."

Suddenly, Qiang leaned forward, lifted Hua Yan's chin, his eyes narrowing, his expression ambiguous, and softly asked, "Would you be willing to be my woman?" Qiang never liked using force with women. At this moment, he was more curious about her calm demeanor and wanted to tease her.

Her body stiffened, then relaxed, because for some reason, Hua Yan felt that Qiang was joking. She smiled faintly and said, "I don't want to be involved in a love triangle."

Qiang's warm demeanor suddenly disappeared, and he tightened his grip on her chin, his expression probing. He stared at her deeply, somewhat coldly and sternly, asking, "Have you regained your memory?" Qiang was shocked because he hadn't heard this from those monitoring her.

If she had regained her memory but could deceive his men, it meant he had underestimated her. She could be a cunning and deeply scheming danger, a ticking time bomb ready to explode at any moment.

After a few silent seconds, Hua Yan suddenly burst into laughter. Seeing Qiang's angry expression, she quickly stopped laughing and explained, "No, I haven't remembered. I just don't know if I had a lover before, if I was married, had children. So I don't want to do anything that would cause pain to myself or others."

The room lightened again with Hua Yan's laugh. Qiang, after staring at her for a while, asked flippantly, "What if I use force?"

"A weak person facing a strong one can only submit," Hua Yan replied, understanding the harsh reality. The disparity in power was too great; resisting would only make her a clown for others to watch.

"Interesting. I'll come back for your tea another time." With that, Qiang left the courtyard. Hua Yan sat in her chair, shaking off her wet clothes, muttering to herself, "One must be cautious under another's roof."

A woman in her twenties, neither arrogant nor timid, rationally weighing the pros and cons, her realism was a bit chilling. Qiang returned to his loft, where Ah Jin was attending to his bedroom.

"If a man wanted to force himself on you, what would you do?"

A bit confused, Ah Jin paused and then honestly said what was on her mind, "I would rather die than let him succeed." After saying that, she looked carefully at Qiang's expression. But he was sipping his tea, and she couldn't see anything. Puzzled and worried, she waited for his next words.

"I'm going to the study. Don't disturb me if there's nothing important." Ah Jin's answer was dull but reasonable. A woman like Xiao Yan was rare, perhaps one in a hundred. As he walked to the third-floor study, Qiang suddenly thought of something: Xiao Yan's behavior was more like a man's.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Then he muttered to himself, "There are feminine men, so it's not impossible for a woman like Xiao Yan to exist." Thinking about it, he laughed to himself.

Seeing Qiang talking to himself and laughing on his way to the third-floor study, Ah Jin felt uneasy. She immediately went to find out where Qiang had gone and what had happened.

Knowing that Qiang had visited Hua Yan, Ah Jin uncharacteristically intercepted the person delivering lunch to Hua Yan and brought it herself to the loft. Seeing Ah Jin, who hadn't appeared in a long time, Hua Yan was a bit puzzled.

"Thank you," Hua Yan said perfunctorily.

Ah Jin furrowed her brows, biting her lip, refusing to leave, and stubbornly standing in the room, staring at Hua Yan. She slowly began, "From the moment I saw you, I knew you would destroy the happiness I worked so hard to build.

Qiang used to focus solely on his work, never wasting his energy on women. But after you came, everything changed. I..."

Hua Yan had heard enough and decisively interrupted Ah Jin, looking at her sincerely, "I don't wish to become another person's woman, and I have no feelings for your man.

Even though I have lost my memory, I still dislike being the third party the most. So you better keep an eye on your own man, since you know we women are merely pawns here. Thank you in advance."

She hoped to dissolve Ah Jin's grudge against her, ensuring a more peaceful life in the Golden Triangle, and reducing one enemy.

In the world of Jianghu, the fewer enemies, the better. Compared to people like Cheng Yunqi and Li Jiaojiao back in the mainland, Ah Jin was already quite kind.

Ah Jin was left speechless for a long while, finding Hua Yan's words too surreal. She looked at Hua Yan with suspicion, from confusion to doubt, and finally pouted.

"Don't believe me? Well, you can think of it as us not having any conflicting interests, each getting what we need. Miss Ah Jin, do you have anything else to say?" Hua Yan had said what needed to be said. Whether it would achieve the desired effect depended on Ah Jin and Qiang. She quickly gave a subtle hint for Ah Jin to leave.

"You..." Ah Jin couldn't get a word out for a long time, then glared at Hua Yan, who was leisurely sipping tea, and turned to leave.

On her way back, Ah Jin walked slowly, her head down, feeling chaotic inside. She had always been accustomed to hating Hua Yan, but now she was at a loss.

Back at Qiang's side, Ah Jin was immediately summoned to the study for questioning. Shocked, she didn't know how to respond. Unconsciously, she wanted to hide her conversation with Hua Yan.

Qiang could easily read her expressions. After waiting a few seconds, he lost patience and said coldly, "What, are you planning to hide something from me?"

"No, I didn't mean to, Hua Yan said..."

"Ah Jin, have you forgotten who I am?" Qiang's face remained relaxed, but his eyes grew increasingly cold.

Under the sudden pressure and coldness, Ah Jin dropped to her knees on the wooden floor, recounting every word of her conversation with Hua Yan.

When she finished, Qiang didn't speak for a long time. Time slipped away unnoticed. An immense fear enveloped Ah Jin, her knees in intense pain, but she dared not move a millimeter.

As a man, having two women scheming behind his back would infuriate anyone. Ah Jin couldn't help cursing Hua Yan, blaming her bad luck on Hua Yan's appearance. Since she arrived, misfortune followed Ah Jin, and she was scolded by Qiang more frequently. Today was even worse; she feared for her life.

Recalling the time Qiang had thrown her into a group of unwashed, foul-smelling men for gang rape, her body began to tremble violently. She slowly raised her head, intending to plead for mercy, but stopped, seeing Qiang's sharp gaze fixed on her.

"What are you planning to do?"

"I'll do whatever you say, Brother Qiang," Ah Jin seized the opportunity to show her loyalty.

Brother Qiang suddenly smiled and said, "Just pretend I never asked."

"Huh?" Ah Jin was puzzled, not understanding the situation.

"If you don't understand, go ask Xiaoyan. Otherwise, if you lose your life, you can't blame anyone else. Now leave!" Brother Qiang suppressed the laughter in his eyes, dismissing Ah Jin. Xiaoyan had some brains, acting "openly and honestly." Although she schemed against him, she had the courage to confront Ah Jin and clear the air.

After leaving, Ah Jin's briefly relaxed brows furrowed again. Looking in the direction of Hua Yan's residence, she stomped her foot and angrily marched towards it.

Having finished lunch, Hua Yan was digesting her meal outside when she saw Ah Jin, who had just left, standing at the gate again.

Surprised, she asked, "Miss Ah Jin, why are you here again?"

Ah Jin gave Hua Yan a reproachful look and, acting on impulse, marched up to the second floor without waiting for an invitation. Hua Yan found Ah Jin's behavior even more endearing now, and she smiled slightly as she followed her inside.

"What's wrong?" Hua Yan asked, seeing that Ah Jin remained silent.

"Hmph..."

Since Ah Jin at the table didn't speak, Hua Yan also remained silent, unhurried.

After a while, Ah Jin couldn't hold back and began speaking, recounting some key points Brother Qiang had said. Finally, she asked, "What do you think Brother Qiang meant by 'pretend I never asked'?"

"The literal meaning," Hua Yan said slowly. When Ah Jin didn't understand, she got angry and shouted, "Just tell me, what does it mean?"

Hua Yan cleaned her ears and rolled her eyes at Ah Jin, saying disdainfully, "Could you stop roaring like a lion? Otherwise, no one will want you." Seeing Ah Jin's furious gaze, she quickly added seriously, "Your Brother Qiang wants you to act according to your own will."

Brother Qiang was truly sinister and cunning. He intended to sit back and watch the drama unfold, with her life hanging by a thread, at his mercy. As the old saying goes, power comes from the barrel of a gun.