Delta: Who are you saying has suffered a loss of strength?

Chapter 324 Surnames

Han Che gazed out the window for a long while, then couldn't help but sigh, "Even official agents in black can be infiltrated; this must have a huge impact on public trust, right?"

Qiu Ying's voice came from the driver's seat, sounding slightly muffled through the seat back: "Heh, who knows what happened. Don't be fooled by the few times it was mentioned at the meeting, making it sound easy. In reality, this matter will most likely escalate to the highest levels. We're just not qualified to hear reports from that side. This time, there will probably be a major reshuffle, a thorough screening from top to bottom."

"Now the men in black don't trust each other anymore. Judging from their shoulder insignia, many of them were probably temporarily transferred from neighboring cities. Each duty team consists of people from several cities who don't know each other and supervise each other to minimize the risk of the entire team being infiltrated."

"That's why they seem cold and wary of each other, because they don't know whether the person on duty next to them is friend or foe."

Han Che felt a chill run down his spine when he recalled the assassination attempt on Boss Jin mentioned in the meeting. He had thought that the evacuation would be safe, but it turned out to be even more dangerous than being in Dam Zero.

At this moment, Qi Yuzhe spoke up and asked, "Sister Qiuying, I have something I'd like to ask you."

Qiu Ying glanced at him in the rearview mirror: "What is it? Don't be shy, just ask."

"That person at the meeting just now..." Qi Yuzhe paused, as if choosing his words, "I just heard Sister Xiaobai say that her mother is going back to the United Nations? What does her mother do?"

A slight smile could be seen at the corners of Qiu Ying's mouth from the driver's seat. She chuckled, a smile that carried a hint of "you've got sharp eyes, kid": "Xiao Qi, you're much more perceptive than this guy surnamed Han. This guy's head's like it's made of solid wood; he sat there for over an hour and didn't see anything."

Han Che was stunned: "Huh? What does this have to do with me?"

Qiu Ying glanced at him in the rearview mirror, her eyes filled with disdain: "That UN representative on stage, Su Lingyi, that's Xiaobai's mother."

"Holy crap, a high-ranking official!" Han Che exclaimed in surprise.

Qi Yuzhe, on the other hand, showed no surprise at all. He looked at Han Che, who looked like he had just realized something, with a hint of disdain, thinking to himself, "Dude, do you really not understand the situation?"

"Oh, I see..." Qi Yuzhe nodded.

"Sister Qiuying, let me say one more thing."

"you say."

"Boss Xiaobai, what's her last name?"

"Huh? What kind of question is that?" Han Che asked, puzzled. "Isn't her surname Xiao Yao?"

Qiu Ying was silent for a moment, then she tilted her head slightly, just enough to peek at the situation in the back row through the rearview mirror.

She looked at Han Che, her lips parted slightly, then closed again, as if hesitating whether to speak. Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke.

"You guessed it?"

"That's right. Xiaobai trusts you two so much now, especially you, Han Che, so I feel comfortable telling you."

"Xiaobai, her surname is Mai."

"Mai?" Han Che repeated the word, his mind blank, not realizing what it meant.

"Mai!!!" Unlike Han Che, Qi Yuzhe's tone was full of shock, his eyes wide open.

"Yes, you guessed right." Qiu Ying's lips curled up again, this time with a hint of pride. "The silver-haired man on the stage, Mai Qiyao, the founder and chairman of the Dragon Club, is Xiao Bai's father."

Han Che then realized why the silver-haired man looked familiar; his features did indeed resemble Xiao Bai's.

"Then her family must be... her mother is a UN representative, her father is the founder of a top club, and Xiaobai even started her own club? This family is too amazing," Han Che exclaimed.

Qiu Ying smiled and shook her head. "When she introduces herself to others, she almost never says her full name. She always omits her uncommon surname, since it's the only family with that surname in the city. Saying it out loud would be like revealing her family name directly."

Then Qiu Ying's expression turned serious, and her tone became more formal. "Everyone in our club knows about this. Don't spread it around. Xiao Bai doesn't like talking about these things with outsiders. She says that doing so always gives her extra respect that doesn't belong to her, which makes her feel very awkward."

Han Che thought about it and felt that this was indeed like Xiao Bai's personality.

She is always polite to everyone and does things in an orderly manner. I have never seen her put on airs or act arrogantly.

If you didn't know who her parents were, you wouldn't be able to tell that she had any special background.

Han Che leaned back, placing his hands behind his head: "Mai Xiaobai... that name sounds quite nice."

"Mai...Mai Xiaobai..." Qi Yuzhe muttered twice, his expression complicated, while pinching his chin, then turned his head to look at Han Che.

Han Che noticed Qing Qiyu's gaze and turned to meet his eyes.

But Qi Yuzhe turned his head back. Han Che couldn't quite understand what was in his eyes, but he felt that Qi Yuzhe seemed to care about something.

The number of men in black on the street gradually decreased, and the buildings on both sides of the street changed from office buildings to residential areas.

Following Han Che's directions, Qiu Ying stopped at the entrance of a residential area.

"By the way, you two can do whatever you want these next couple of days, since you don't have anything else to do for the time being," Qiu Ying said. "The club might be getting mobbed by the media and fans lately, and if you two come to the club, you might get wrecked by the crazy fans."

"Fans?" Han Che chuckled. "We even have fans?"

"Fans? We have fans too?" Han Che laughed.

"Hehe, that's true. You guys haven't seen those edited videos. Go online and check them out when you have time. You'll see then. Bye!" Qiu Ying waved from the driver's seat and drove off.

Han Che and his companion carried the equipment boxes back to their residence.

Back at his rented apartment, Han Che opened the door, hung his clothes on the coat rack by the entrance, and smiled as he changed his shoes.

"Hehe, I've made something of myself, I even have fans!"

"What are you doing? You've had that sour look on your face the whole way. Did you get scared?" Han Che asked, looking at Qi Yuzhe's still deep expression.

Qi Yuzhe glanced at Han Che but did not answer him.

Han Che thought back for a moment and realized that Qi Yuzhe started acting strangely when he learned about Xiaobai's family background. So he said, "Take it easy. No matter what kind of high-ranking official's daughter she is, it has nothing to do with us!"

Qi Yuzhe gave Han Che a strange look, then sighed, "Sigh!"

"When are we going back to Tide Prison? I want to go back for a while," Qi Yuzhe said.

"Hey, you were saying you wanted to come out earlier, I thought you wouldn't want to go back!" Han Che laughed. "Let's do it tonight, after midnight, when there are fewer people on the streets..."