63 THE VOW OF LOYALTY 2 (1/2)

'I'm crazy about this girl, Yun Peng... I'm even willing to take the vow of loyalty on her behalf.' Su Yang's words echoed in Yun Peng's head. He knew his place in the gang all too well. They had no leader, so he wasn't their leader. But they had respect for one another and loyalty, loyalty that could only be measured by the length of life itself. Yes, Yun Peng wasn't their leader but he had their undying respect and loyalty; all because of the role he had played in their freedom. He knew that as strong-headed as Su Yang was, she would still respect him and do his bidding. At the end of the day, if Su Yang's girlfriend could live in the hideout, it was totally his decision.

Yun Peng sighed indecisively. Su Yang had broken the rule by bringing her girlfriend here, but he knew her better than anyone else. And he had never thought the day would come when she would open her heart to someone. He sighed again. This time, he had made a decision. With a wave of his hand, he said, \”Fine. If you trust her that much, then it's okay.\”

\”Thank you.\” Su Yang gave him a small smile to show her appreciation. Lu Qihao's smile was so wide, his face started to turn red, while Zhu Daniya threw Yun Peng a disappointed glance.

\”You should probably call her out from where you're hiding her.\” Yun Peng said. \”We might as well get to know her now.

\”She's in my room, I'll go get her.\” Su Yang said.

\”No need,\” Zhu Daniya stopped Su Yang in her tracks. \”I can smell her from behind the curtain. I think she's been crying.\” She added and pointed to a curtain. The curtain covered the hallway which led to the three rooms in the house.

\”Xuan Tianmei?\” Su Yang stared at the curtain and called.

Xuan Tianmei slowly appeared from behind the curtain. She wiped her tears in embarrassment.

\”I asked you to go inside. Why were you eavesdropping?\” Su Yang asked in a soft voice.

\”I didn't intend to, I just wanted to see your friends.\”

Zhu Daniya raised a brow in doubt.

\”So, why are you crying?\” Su Yang asked.

\”I wasn't crying. I'm just touched because you've never said you love me before.\” With swift steps, Xuan Tianmei walked across the living room and pulled Su Yang into a hug.

\”God, what's going on now? Please, get off me.\” Su Yang gently, but surely pulled Xuan Tianmei away from her.

Xuan Tianmei didn't seem to mind. She looked at the three people in the room who were strangers to her, then focused her eyes on Su Yang. \”What's the vow of loyalty?\”

\”Don't worry about that.\” Su Yang shook her head hoping to abate Xuan Tianmei's concerns.

\”No, you should worry about it.\” Yun Peng walked towards Xuan Tianmei and gave her an imposing look.

\”Yun Peng...\” Su Yang called but kept mute when he replied by throwing her a cold glance.

Returning his attention to Xuan Tianmei, he explained. \”Its history is a long story. But it's something like the Samurai code. Any member of the Black Knife who betrays the gang or another member of the gang will take their own life.\” Yun Peng paused so that Xuan Tianmei had time to process the words he had spoken. He continued, \”Taking the vow for you means that if you betray the gang or any of its members, Su Yang will take her life.\”

Xuan Tianmei turned her attention to Su Yang and placed a hand on her chest. \”You trust me that much?\”

Su Yang nodded her head causing Xuan Tianmei to become teary-eyed again.

Yun Peng smiled at the interaction between the two. It felt strange to him. He could tell that Su Yang was distant and wasn't comfortable getting touched by Xuan Tianmei. Somehow, they both seemed to like each other a lot.

\”So, are you going to introduce her to us or what?\” Lu Qihao asked in the chirpy, excited tone he had had since Su Yang had announced having a lover.

Su Yang nodded. Pointing to Xuan Tianmei, she announced. \”This is Xuan Tianmei.\”

Xuan Tianmei looked at them and waved politely. Yun Peng, who had returned to his seat nodded at her. Lu Qihao waved back and Zhu Daniya looked away. Xuan Tianmei frowned and immediately decided that of the trio, she liked Lu Qihao more.

\”Xuan Tianmei, these are three other members of the gang and my best friends.\” Su Yang pointed at them. They were sitting in a circle around the coffee table. She found a seat for herself and tapped the spot next to her to invite Su Yang to sit with them.

\”Does the gang have other members?\” Xuan Tianmei asked.

Su Yang nodded. \”A lot more. You'll know a gang member by that black coin you asked me about. The one with the inscription of a knife drawn on it.\”

\”Oh!\” Xuan Tianmei muttered.

\”It's like our ID. Anyone who shows that coin at any place owned by a gang member is granted free, unrestricted entry. Pretty cool, right?\” Su Yang asked, winking at Xuan Tianmei.

Xuan Tianmei smiled. Impressed. \”Very cool. Can I get one of those?\”

\”No, you can't.\” Su Yang replied firmly.

Xuan Tianmei pouted. \”But, I'm your girlfriend. Don't I get any special treatment?\”

\”Special treatment?\” Su Yang raised a brow in amusement. \”Are you serious? I just took a vow to kill myself for you if you ever mess up.\”