The two hit it off immediately and promptly replied “Okay” to Jiang Feng.

As soon as he finished replying, Xiao Hu put away his phone and said softly to the person beside him, “Xixi, what do you think… why hasn’t Da Sao’s brother told her the truth yet?”

It would have been better not to ask that question at all; once it was out, a faint trace of sadness instantly clouded Lin Xi’s previously radiant face. “He must be hiding something really important from everyone!”

“Xixi?”

Xiao Hu regretted it a bit.

He really shouldn’t have asked about that unnamed male operative—not a single word should have been mentioned.

Lin Xi shook her head. “I’m fine; I’m just a little sad. He’s the best person in the whole world—this isn’t right! It just isn’t!”

“Yeah, it isn’t. Sometimes Heaven is just so unfair! There’s nothing we can do about it,” Xiao Hu said, freeing one hand to tightly grasp Lin Xi’s.

He wasn’t jealous of Lin Xi calling that man “the best man in the whole world.” After all, a pampered young master who, when Lin Xi was in trouble, didn’t hesitate to offer his help; who went out of his way to support her growth; and who, even when things weren’t exactly rosy for himself, still kept an eye on her—wasn’t he, in Lin Xi’s eyes, the very best kind of man?

Just like Feng Ge was to him! Both were natural-born saviors who had handed them a lifeline when they were on the brink of despair!

Thinking this, Xiao Hu tightened his grip on Lin Xi’s hand and looked deeply into her eyes. “But Xixi… although we can’t change Heaven, we can certainly help him, help Sao Zi, and help all the people he cares about, right?”

A mist began to gather in Lin Xi’s eyes.

She returned the warm grip of Xiao Hu’s large hand, finally dispelling the gloom and forcing a bright smile that truly belonged to her. She nodded and said, “Yes, you’re right! The past is already gone—we can’t change any of it. But the future is still in our hands, and we absolutely have the power to make a difference!”

“That’s exactly it!” Xiao Hu smiled too.

Sometime along the way, his joys and sorrows had become completely tied to the woman by his side: when she was sad, he felt unhappy too; when she was happy, he instantly rejoiced as well.

Perhaps this is what love really is!

Didn’t Lin Xi realize this as well?

Although emotionally she knew very clearly that the man she loved most in her heart was still the one who had pulled her out of the mire, given her a second chance at life, and opened up endless possibilities for her, she also realized that she was growing more and more fond of the man by her side—not out of some calculated effort to ease his mind, as she’d done before when flirting with him—but out of a genuine, heartfelt affection that only a woman could feel for a man.

He wasn’t as smart or as quick-witted as Ming Kai, nor did he possess the same strategic brilliance and commanding presence. Like his name suggests, he was just a slightly feisty young man—simple, kind, with a bit of his own temper and stubbornness, endearing and lovable, someone people couldn’t help but like.

She pushed back the haze in her eyes, made her smile even brighter, gripped Xiao Hu’s hand even tighter, and let out a sweet, soft, and intoxicating voice from the corners of her unusually beautiful lips: “Xiao Hu, thank you!”

“How do you want to thank me?”

Xiao Hu’s face had already flushed red. He knew exactly what she meant—and so did Lin Xi, whose fingers were locked tightly around his.

But she didn’t give in. A faint blush spread across her cheeks. “Stop fooling around! We’re driving—stay safe!”

End of Chapter 181: Counterattack 107