The Dark Night Rose Accompanied the Man

Lin Xuan didn’t hesitate before replying with a smile, "Of course I’m looking forward to it. A child between Hua Bao and me would definitely be incredibly smart and adorable, and good-looking too. Of course, it’d be best if they take after you, inheriting all your excellent genes."

He never used to like children, finding them noisy and troublesome.

But if it was Su Hua’s child, he’d love it.

Su Hua clenched her fists.

As expected, A-Xuan really liked children.

She had come across a few sayings online: "A daughter is her father’s little cotton-padded jacket," and "A daughter is her father’s lover from a past life."

What if she gave birth to a daughter?

No—not just a daughter. Even a son would steal A-Xuan’s attention.

Su Hua’s heart sank deeper and deeper.

Even if A-Xuan wanted one, she absolutely couldn’t have a child unless forced into it.

"Hua Bao, why are you suddenly asking about this?" Lin Xuan asked curiously.

"It’s nothing, I was just… casually asking," Su Hua murmured, pressing her lips together.

"Oh."

Lin Xuan nodded.

Su Hua lowered her gaze.

She’d have to check the effectiveness of that medicine another day, just to make sure it hadn’t expired.

Butler Wang shook his head.

The more Lin Xuan expressed his fondness for children, the more resistant the young mistress became to having one.

It seemed the old master wouldn’t be holding a great-grandchild anytime soon—nor would he get to dote on a little young master or young mistress.

But at least he had a girlfriend now, so he wasn’t completely idle.

Over at the Golden Dragon Gang—

Wang Ba had been keeping people stationed to watch the Night Roses.

He called the subordinate in charge of monitoring them.

"Second Master," came the respectful voice from the other end.

Wang Ba frowned. "Has there been any movement from the Night Roses targeting our Golden Dragon Gang?"

"None," the subordinate replied, shaking his head.

"None at all?"

"Right, not a single move," the subordinate confirmed. "They’re doing exactly what they’ve always done."

Wang Ba’s frown deepened.

What was going on?

The Night Roses were known for their vengeful nature. There had been a small underground gang that merely slighted them once, and the Night Roses wiped them out completely.

This time, the Golden Dragon Gang had openly snatched goods from them—a significant haul at that.

Given the Night Roses’ temperament, they should’ve immediately mobilized to crush the Golden Dragon Gang.

Yet a whole month had passed, and they still hadn’t acted.

This wasn’t right. It really wasn’t.

Were they planning something big, biding their time to prepare?

But even then, a month was more than enough.

Wang Ba pressed, "Do you know the reason?"

The subordinate thought for a moment. "I did hear something from the Night Roses’ members, but it sounds pretty unbelievable."

"What did they say?" Wang Ba pressed urgently.

"They mentioned that their leader—the Dark Night Rose—has been spending all her time with her man lately and hasn’t had the energy to deal with us."

"Boss, I really don’t think that’s possible. Someone like the Dark Night Rose wouldn’t just drop everything to chase after a man. To her, men are just playthings—they shouldn’t affect her like this."

The idea of the Dark Night Rose neglecting her duties for a man was absurd.

"So I figured they were just making it up and didn’t bother reporting it," the subordinate added.

Wang Ba’s expression turned complicated, as if he’d realized something.

"Actually… that might really be the reason."

The subordinate protested, "No way. Absolutely no way."

Wang Ba sighed. "Let me ask you—what do you think of our gang leader?"

The subordinate answered without hesitation, "The boss is a genius! His combat skills are top-tier, his mastery of guns and blades is unreal, and his mind is razor-sharp. Even the Shadow Organization—he took them down without us suffering any real losses."

The subordinate’s face was full of admiration when speaking of Lin Xuan.

Back when Lin Xuan took over the Golden Dragon Gang, replacing Wang Ba as leader, he had been furious.

How could an outsider just waltz in and seize control?

But then Lin Xuan introduced a new training regimen, had Wang Ba drill them, and their martial arts, marksmanship, and blade skills all improved dramatically.

Every operation the boss planned—raiding other gangs for weapons—ended in victory.

Now, in his eyes, Lin Xuan was practically a god.

"You’re not wrong. The boss is incredible," Wang Ba said, his tone heavy. "And yet, even he’s fallen for a woman."

"First, he helped President Su destroy the Shadows. Then he’s been spending all his time with her lately, leaving no room to handle Golden Dragon Gang affairs."

"So if the Dark Night Rose is neglecting her duties to be with her man, is that really so strange?"

The subordinate: "..."

That… made sense.

If even their boss—someone so formidable—could lose himself over a woman, then the Dark Night Rose ignoring them for her man didn’t seem so far-fetched.

"Boss," the subordinate mused, stroking his chin, "do you think the boss is…"

He trailed off.

That couldn’t be, right?

What were the odds?

"What are you trying to say?" Wang Ba asked, puzzled.

The subordinate replied, "I was just thinking—our boss is with his woman, and the Dark Night Rose is with her man. Could the Dark Night Rose actually be President Su? Given that she’s Ling, it wouldn’t be surprising if she founded the Night Roses."

This subordinate had infiltrated the Shadows’ ranks and witnessed everything, so he knew about Su Hua’s past as an assassin.

"And…" he added, rubbing his chin, "there’s another coincidence—the Night Roses emerged right after Ling disappeared."

"No way," Wang Ba dismissed immediately. "If President Su really was the Dark Night Rose, why would our boss go through all that trouble to seize that shipment by force?"

With how much President Su adored their boss, all he’d need to do was whisper a few sweet words, and she’d probably hand over the goods—no, maybe even gift him the entire Night Roses.

"Besides," Wang Ba shook his head again, "if the Night Roses were President Su’s gang, why would our boss plan an operation against them?"

The subordinate’s eyes lit up as another thought struck him. "Second Master, what if… President Su and our boss are both hiding their identities from each other?"

Thanks to Little Servant Sang, Dream Painter, Northwood Frostwind, and others for the gifts.

Just one more day until the Qingming Festival holiday.

I have to update my novel every single day—no breaks, ever. Wuwuwu.

Uu.