Ti Shen

Ran Feng Ge dilly-dallied slowly after Su Yi Mo down the corridor. Su Yi Mo pushed open the door leading into the private room he had reserved, indicating for Ran Feng Ge to enter. As soon as Ran Feng Ge entered the room, Su Yi Mo promptly closed and locked the door.

Touching his nose slightly, Ran Feng Ge asked, "Don't tell me you still want to fight?"

Instead of answering, Su Yi Mo turned around and silently stared at Ran Feng Ge. His gaze was no longer as cold as it had been before.

Feeling uncomfortable being stared at, Ran Feng Ge stepped deeper into the room, making a beeline straight for the table once he spotted it. He sat himself on top of it, swinging his legs slightly. Not wanting to look up at Su Yi Mo, he could only continue looking at his toes as he asked, "So, what's the matter?"

"I have something I need to ask of you."

"Ah, is this what they call the carrot and the stick?" Ran Feng Ge replied with a raised eyebrow and a look full of reluctance.

"You started it first by attacking me without any reason." Su Yi Mo emphasized, "I was only defending myself."

"Tsk!" Ran Feng Ge clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, "If you were being sincere, you'd stand there and let me hit you."

"Why should I just stand here and let you hit me?"

"…That's why I say you are insincere!" Ran Feng Ge refused to admit that the reason he played Su Yi Mo to trick Jing Qiu Han was because he was afraid of Su Yi Mo. That was why he decided to take the initiative to fight with him.

Besides, Su Yi Mo knowing that Ran Feng Ge pretended to be him to try and trick his little lover would make him very unhappy. Therefore, letting him do a little work out to soothe out those feelings would help.

See, isn't Su Yi Mo so much more manageable now?

Su Yi Mo realized that it was getting a little difficult to maintain his iceberg persona.

He used to be someone who was very resolute in everything he did, one meant one, but now that Ran Feng Ge was in the picture, he found it very difficult to retain the same attitude. Even if he did try, what was the use if the other party refused to acknowledge it?

Just like now.

That fellow wearing a face identical to his own, sitting with both his legs dangling off the table, a look of stubbornness etched on his features, even Su Yi Mo was unable to find the drive to get angry.

Even though he had already let his anger out, he found that he was now filled with a feeling of helplessness.

"Can you first change your face back?" Su Yi Mo asked, resisting the urge to sigh out loud. Then, with a few strides, he stepped in front of Ran Feng Ge. Looking at his identical double before him, Su Yi Mo couldn't help but feel as though it was some kind of out-of-body experience.

With a brief scratch on the cheek, Ran Feng Ge stated, "Why should I change back? I think this is quite nice."

"I find it very awkward!" Seeing that Ran Feng Ge had no intention of doing anything, Su Yi Mo reached for the mask with the intention of ripping it off.

"Aiyah! Hurts, hurts, it hurts, be more gentle!" Ran Feng Ge had no choice but to follow the movement of the arm before him, as his face was being manipulated without his will. He was unable to form coherent sentences, "I'll do it myself, I'll do it! Let, let go… Argh…"

With a start, Su Yi Mo felt his spirits lift as he watched his doppelganger's face turn red from his manipulation. Whatever he was pissed off about before.

Seeing the sides of Su Yi Mo's lips curl upwards, a glimmer of relief shone through Ran Feng Ge's eyes.

So long as he's no longer angry…

Knowing his limits, Ran Feng Ge carefully felt along the junction of his cheek and ear base. He then retrieved a bottle of transparent makeup removal, which he carries along with him at all times. After what seemed like half a day, the mask was finally pulled off!

"Hu…" Releasing a breath, Ran Feng Ge glanced at Su Yi Mo from his peripheral vision and said, "So, we'll talk about serious matters now?"

Su Yi Mo found himself staring at the slightly oxygen deprived face before him, blotches of red amid all that handsome smooth whiteness. Of course, it was only but a moment of distraction.

"Because of your little prank, I was indeed very angry. However, now that I have calmed down and have given it some thought, rather than hiding things from you, I might as well show you all my cards. Now that you've met Jing Qiu Han: his character, his movements, how he reacts in different situations… I am sure you should now know them like the back of your hand. Therefore, I would like you to listen very carefully to what I want to say next…" Su Yi Mo's voice suddenly became very serious.

"Qiu Han is in fact being forced to do this. Throughout the years he has been by my side, he has indeed provided Lan Kuang information on Falcon, which led to the demise of my family's business."

"I did wonder at the beginning when I first accepted Qiu Han, if he approached me with a motive, but he has yet to let me down even after numerous trials."

"Besides, I did use him to get back at Lan Kuang too… Thinking back, I suppose we can call it even."

"The main reason Qiu Han refuses to be honest with me is because his little sister is still in the hands of Lan Kuang."

"Therefore…"

"Therefore, you want to use this to your advantage. Provide me with some privy information and have me act as Jing Qiu Han to meet up with Lan Kuang to negotiate and rescue his sister. This way, both brother and sister will be under your protection, right?" Ran Feng Ge has always been quick to catch on. Su Yi Mo had just finished explaining himself and Ran Feng Ge was already able to guess what his next step was.

Ah… He is indeed an infatuated moron! Having already planned everything, even willing to sacrifice his own gains to come out on top in the end.

Su Yi Mo did feel a little guilty. When he first signed the contract with Ran Feng Ge, he had no intention of dragging him this far in. His only duty had been to mimic and act as Jing Qiu Han for a year in the entertainment circle to ensure that no suspicion was raised.

Alas, in the end, the plans of men are fallible. Now that Jing Qiu Han's identity as a undercover spy was unknowingly exposed by Ran Feng Ge and Qiu Han did come clean to him, there was no way he could ignore the wellbeing of Qiu Han's little sister. Therefore, the only choice was to rely on Ran Feng Ge.

He is capable of protecting himself, right?

Being dragged into all this… It shouldn't… It shouldn't be too dangerous right?

"I will add another 10 million to the contract fee for you." Su Yi Mo muttered quietly, feeling very inadequate at the moment.

Not knowing what to say, Ran Feng Ge could only look down at the freshly removed mask in his hands. Pulling it this way and that, he said with an enigmatic voice, "You treat your little lover very well!"

"So… you…" Su Yi Mo didn't know what was going on with his heart and all he could do was stutter uneasily.

Seeing his troubled expression, Ran Feng Ge felt a tug at his heartstrings and decided to quell the foreign emotion rising within him. Gripping the mask tightly in his fingers, Ran Feng Ge hopped off the desk, "Okay, deal!"

Before Su Yi Mo was even able to open his mouth to say his thanks, Ran Feng Ge continued, "But I want to see the money in my account first this time! Only once I have confirmed it will I do anything!"

"No problem! I will immediately call my people to transfer the funds into your account!" A rare expression of ecstasy to appeared upon Su Yi Mo's face.

Silently, a mysterious emotion flashed through Ran Feng Ge's eyes.

Su Yi Mo clasped his hands on top of Ran Feng Ge's shoulders, "Even though you are paid to do this, I really need to thank you!"

"Then, I shall accept your thanks." Ran Feng Ge replied nonchalantly.

Su Yi Mo gave those shoulders a tight squeeze, "Then I shall go and make the arrangements, we shall discuss more about this when we get home."

"Okay." He answered, flashing a perfect smile, without a hint of weakness.

Once Su Yi Mo had exited the room, the smile that had been plastered on Ran Feng Ge's lips grew stiff. He lowered his head in a daze and stared at the wrinkled piece of fake skin. He lifted it up to his chest and wondered to himself. Why was he feeling so uneasy here? It was as though there was a huge rock sitting right on top of his chest making it very difficult to breathe.

♦

Lang Ting Hotel: Presidential Suite

"Boss, this is the information you requested!"

"Just put it there!" Lan Kuang waved his hand absentmindedly. After placing the document carefully next to the tea set, his subordinate exited the room Leaving Lan Kuang alone in the vast room.

It still seemed as though he had very casually dressed himself. He wore a pure white robe that was secured loosely at his waist while a glass of whiskey appeared to be glued to his hand at all times.

This was exactly what Lan Kuang was like, sprawled lazily across the sofa with half his bathrobe hanging off him, his well-sculptured chest exposed to the world.

If one were to look carefully, one would find that there was a very faint scar marring the surface of that otherwise perfect chest. Of course, that scar was already so faint that it was unnoticeable unless one knew where to look.

Actually, the scar that was on Lan Kuang's chest was very similar to the one that can be found on the body of An Mu. They were both marked with an 'X'.

Except, one of them was obvious, and the other was barely visible anymore.

Lan Kuang sipped at his whiskey slowly, enjoying the taste of it on his tongue. He leaned forward and reached for the document that had been placed down by his subordinate and balanced it on his knee, flipping it over to the first page.

It contained pictures of An Mu when he was still with him, newspaper articles, rumors - Everything.

His gaze shifted to another photograph, one that was blurred.

It was a group picture of two men.

Actually, it was not really a group picture. It was taken by a reporter, which Lan Kuang had intercepted. He then had the photo developed.

It's been two years since then.

Both men's faces were unable to be recognized, but even from the photo, both had an imposing aura.

The one that was in the midst of falling on to the bed, had on a Vampire Knight mask. While the other stood tall at the bedside looking like a dominatrix, had on a Demon mask.

That had been the night of a costume party. Normally, Lan Kuang was not one to join in on events such as that. However, it was a party organized by a few of his sponsors so Lan Kuang had been pressured to attend.

That night, Lan Kuang had donned a Vampire Knight mask. An Mu had been the one under the Demon's mask.

All that was visible that night had been that pair of mesmerizingly cunning eyes that were peeking out from under the eyeholes of the Demon mask.

One look was all that was needed to entrap Lan Kuang's heart.