“Qi Ye, why did you ask Brother Zhuai to protect me?” In the dimly lit street, Baili Pangpang leaned in close to Lin Qiye’s ear and asked in a low voice.

“At this critical moment, both you and I are targets, so I can’t stay by your side for long. It’s even more dangerous for me to do so. Cao Yuan is going crazy and doesn’t differentiate between friend and foe… In short, you need a normal person by your side, and they have to be skilled.”

Baili Pangpang suddenly realized, “You’re really clever!”

Shen Qingzhu, who was walking behind them, had his hands in his pockets and looked up at the stars, lost in thought.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

“Hey, fatty,” he suddenly called out.

Baili Pangpang turned around and grinned, “Can you call me something else? I’m your employer now, after all.”

“…Baili Tuming,” Shen Qingzhu took a deep breath and slowly spoke, “Let’s discuss. Can you advance me a day’s pay?”

Baili Pangpang raised an eyebrow, “What do you need it for?”

“Never mind that for now. Can you give it to me or not?”

Baili Pangpang turned to look at Lin Qiye, who nodded.

“But I don’t have any cash on me right now…” Baili Pangpang scratched his head.

“I have 300 yuan. Will that be enough?” Cao Yuan suddenly spoke up.

“Enough. Give it to me first,” Shen Qingzhu nodded repeatedly.

Cao Yuan handed over the remaining 300 yuan from his wallet to Shen Qingzhu, who then turned and walked back in the direction of the noodle shop. In the dim light, the three of them seemed to see him return to that run-down noodle shop.

He said something to the boss first, then added a piece of pork and an egg to the bowls of the three assistants, and then handed all the money to Deng Wei, giving him some instructions before quickly running out.

“Let’s go,” Shen Qingzhu said calmly.

Lin Qiye and the others exchanged a glance and maintained a silent understanding, then turned and walked out of the alley.

“The hotel has been bombed… where are we going to stay tonight?” Baili Pangpang said dejectedly as they walked.

Cao Yuan held a knife, “How about finding a temple to sleep in for the night?”

“…This is a modern city. Where can I find a temple for you to sleep in the middle of the night?”

“True.”

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Qiye spoke slowly, “I know a place. Follow me.”

The three followed behind Lin Qiye, passing through several deserted alleys until they finally arrived at the front of a remote and dilapidated small inn.

Pink and purple light spilled out from the windows of the rooms, casting a glow in front of the small door. The four of them stood at the entrance, looking up at the pink and tattered sign…

“Dream Butterfly Village… Lover’s Inn?!”

Baili Pangpang felt a tightening in his chest when he saw those words, “Qiye, are you… serious?”

“There aren’t many places in Cangnan City where you can stay without showing your ID. This place is considered to have a relatively good environment,” Lin Qiye’s eyebrows raised slightly, “If you don’t want to stay here, you’ll have to sleep under a bridge.”

“…Then let’s go in.”

The four entered without having to show their IDs, and there were plenty of rooms. Just as Baili Pangpang was about to book three rooms directly, Shen Qingzhu suddenly spoke up:

“I’ll share a room with you.”

Baili Pangpang: “What?!”

“Since we agreed on close protection, it’s too risky to stay separately. You take the bed, and I can sleep on the floor,” Shen Qingzhu said seriously.

Baili Pangpang:…

“In that case, I’ll stay with you too,” Cao Yuan said calmly, “The three of us can play cards together.”

“This…”

“It’s decided.”

Before Baili Pangpang could object, Cao Yuan and Shen Qingzhu had already chosen a room for him. The three of them went upstairs, and every step they took on the floorboards made a loud creaking sound.

As they reached the second floor, there were faint… indescribable sounds coming from the surrounding rooms.

Shen Qingzhu was taken aback, a faint blush appearing on his face, but he still walked forward with his head held high.

Cao Yuan lowered his head and silently recited a Buddhist chant.

Baili Pangpang looked at the two of them in surprise, an incredulous expression gradually appearing on his face…

“Are you all…?”

“Aren’t you?”

“Jokes aside, when I was seven years old, I already…”

“We’re here.”

Shen Qingzhu arrived at the door of a room, used the key to open it, and a faint musty smell wafted out. He furrowed his brow slightly, stepped inside.

The room wasn’t large, with two beds, and the overhead light hadn’t been cleaned in who knows how long, covered in stains. The pink light filled the entire room, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

“Two beds. You guys take the beds, and I’ll sleep on the floor,” Shen Qingzhu walked to the window, carefully observing outside for a long time, making sure no one was watching before closing the curtains.

Baili Pangpang nodded, “Cao Yuan, which bed will you… hmm?”

Baili Pangpang looked at the empty corridor behind him, and made a soft sound of surprise.

First floor.

“Hello.”

“What do you need?”

“Do you have… something that three people can play together, something exciting and interesting?”

“Well… we do have that. What specifically are you looking for?”

“A deck of cards.”

“…”

…

After settling Baili Pangpang, Lin Qiye left the inn and moved stealthily towards Hong Ying’s house, like a ghost in the dark night.

Unbeknownst to him, snowflakes began to fall from the night sky, adorning the quiet street.

Lin Qiye reached out and gently caught a snowflake, watching it melt in his palm…

After a long silence, he shook his head helplessly.

“I can’t build a snowman with you this year, Jin…”

Ten minutes later.

“Qiye, why did you take so long?” Hong Ying saw Lin Qiye return and stood up from the sofa, pouting, “If you didn’t come back soon, I was going to go out and look for you!”

Wen Qimo, who was lazily lying on the sofa, yawned, “I can testify that in this half hour, she has mentioned you at least two hundred times.”

Lin Qiye scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed, “I went out for a late-night snack… Sorry, Sister Hong Ying.”Hong Ying sighed, “Forget it, let’s go to sleep early… Wen Qimo, you better pay attention tonight, protect Qi Ye!”

“I know, I know.” Wen Qimo yawned again, “With me in the living room, no one will even think about sneaking in.”

Hong Ying looked outside the door and sighed softly, “The captain and that old dog Xiangnan really slipped away… No loyalty at all! Hmph!”

After saying that, she turned and went back to her room. Lin Qiye smiled helplessly and also returned to his own room.

Click!

A soft sound, and the villa’s lights went out, plunging into darkness…

Outside the house.

The night sky was vast, and snowflakes fluttered.

Bursts of cold wind swept through the sleeping Cangnan, carrying the snowflakes and howling between the cities.

On the roof of the church, just a hundred meters away from the villa, Leng Xuan lay quietly, holding a sniper rifle in his hands, like a statue, watching over everything around him.

Creak.

The sound of shoes stepping on the snowy ground came from behind him. Leng Xuan turned his head sharply, and the next moment he froze.

“Isn’t it cold in this deep winter?”

Chen Muye, with a cigarette in his mouth, walked slowly to his side and sat down.

“Not cold.” Leng Xuan answered indifferently.

“I brought you a coat.” Wu Xiangnan, draped in a black trench coat, also sat beside Leng Xuan, draping the coat over him, his gaze falling on the distant villa, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

“Aren’t you going back to sleep?” Leng Xuan asked.

“Sleep? Can’t sleep.”

“Oh.”

“I heard Qi Ye went to help the little fatty in a fight today? How did it go?”

Leng Xuan paused for a moment, his lips curving slightly, “Very well, he’s gotten stronger, now even I might not be able to beat him.”

“Is that so…” Chen Muye smiled, “Not bad.”

“Mhm.”

“We’ll take over for you tonight, you’ve been watching him all day.”

“No need, if I don’t even have this much perseverance, what kind of sniper am I.”

Wu Xiangnan and Chen Muye exchanged glances, both gave a wry smile, and neither tried to persuade him further.

The church rooftop fell into silence.

Without a word, the three men just sat there quietly, watching over the distant villa, motionless.

The fluttering snowflakes fell upon them,

Under the dead silence of the night sky,

The snow on their bodies piled up thicker and thicker…

Gradually, they turned into three snowmen,

And like the guardian deities of this city.