But before that, Dean had two things to do.

First, attend the celebration banquet for Eve, the newly appointed captain of the Anti-Gang and Narcotics Division. With Monet's casual help, she had joined Saul Aston's new ship and, as she wished, taken over the captain's position, becoming the new darling of the Los Angeles Police Detective Bureau. Second, Lawrence and Sophie were finally coming back! Now, the Fourth Squad was down to a skeleton crew. Once Lawrence returned, Dean could start preparing to expand their personnel.

Monet had discussed it with him. Upon his promotion, he planned to have Dean and Lawrence each lead a team, effectively retaining control over the Fourth Squad. Old Hunter would take over the new captain's position as an interim figurehead and potential fall guy. Monet didn't want his people to be left out in the cold; he hoped to place his confidants in charge to maintain control of the Fourth Squad's management and also to secure a backup for himself. Although Dean didn't think much of his idea, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like paving the way for himself. So, he was still prepared to have a good talk with Lawrence to prevent the big guy from being sold out by Monet in the future, ensuring Lawrence knew who his true friends and good buddies were.

「Airport.」

Harry yawned. "Dean, do you really think Lawrence managed to win over Phoebe?" This guy had been running around lately, begging everyone, and finally took in Sarah's daughter, whom she'd left behind, handing her over to his own mother to raise. As a new dad, if it weren't for the Fourth Squad's shortage of hands, he would have taken extended leave to be with his daughter already.

"He probably did." Dean exhaled a puff of smoke, appreciatively watching a group that looked like models disembarking the plane, and said with a smile, "Didn't you notice that Lawrence's tone on the phone lately isn't as cheerful as before?"

Harry was astonished. "But if Lawrence won over Phoebe, shouldn't he be happy and sweet?"

That's a low-level assumption. In fact, when people who are already familiar with each other become a couple, it doesn't necessarily bring sweetness but often misery. It's a simple principle: sweetness comes from the anticipation of the future and the novelty of each day. But Lawrence and Phoebe were too familiar with each other. The thing is, when they were just colleagues, Phoebe might not have cared about Lawrence's many faults. But now that they are a couple, it's different. Their expectations are different, and the angles from which they view issues have also changed. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Imagination and reality often have a big discrepancy. The Texas hunk, Lawrence, might already be regretting it.

「At 9:20 PM」

The flight Lawrence and Sophie were on arrived on time at Los Angeles Airport.

Among the crowd, Dean and Harry finally saw Phoebe and the others.

Phoebe seemed to be recovering quite well. Except for a prominent scar on her right cheek that added a touch of severity and sternness, her demeanor had, in fact, become even more attractive to men. Lawrence, however, looked much more miserable. This big man, a good head and shoulders taller than Phoebe, was hauling no less than three carts of luggage. The flesh of his cheeks sagged, and a large medicinal patch was stuck to his right cheek; he looked like a proper laborer.

Reunited after a long separation, Phoebe warmly gave Dean and Harry a hug, then said, somewhat discontentedly, "Where's Robert? That bastard, not coming to pick me up today!"

Dean hastily explained, "His mother fell ill, so he took leave and went back to his hometown. I thought he told you."

"Well, I thought he was joking, trying to give me a surprise," Phoebe shrugged. It seemed she had returned to her previous mindset.

As they were talking, Lawrence and Harry, who was helping him, also came over. Upon seeing Dean, Lawrence went straight in for a bear hug. "Buddy, you don't know how much I've missed you these past few days! I'm really grateful for the money you lent me and Phoebe!"

"No biggie."

After some simple pleasantries, and because of their weariness from the journey, Dean and Harry dropped Phoebe and her pile of newly bought cosmetics, clothes, shoes, and bags at her place, then went with Lawrence to a long-missed bar.

A beer went down the hatch. Lawrence, immensely satisfied, let out a breath heavy with alcohol, closed his eyes to relish the moment, looking just like a desert traveler who had finally found a gulp of ice water.

Harry looked at him with pity. "Buddy, it looks like you didn't have a great time in Korea!"

Lawrence stubbornly retorted, "Harry, you're wrong! The entertainment industry there is booming. On the streets of Seoul at night, you find women in skimpy clothes everywhere. They were really enthusiastic about me. If I wanted to, I could have a different woman every day!"

"So that's why your face is swollen?" Dean chimed in from the sidelines.

Still being stubborn, Lawrence said, "You only see what's on the surface. You haven't seen Phoebe's hand; it's more swollen than my face. To put it accurately, I used my facial muscles to domestically abuse Phoebe!"

PFFT.

Upon hearing this novel explanation, Harry spat out a mouthful of his drink, drawing disdainful looks from those around them. He apologized repeatedly before saying with disbelief, "Buddy, Phoebe is only 165 cm tall; you could carry her with one hand! And you're saying *she* domestically abused *you*?"

Lawrence's face turned red and his neck seemed to thicken in defense. "How can you call it domestic abuse when it's between a man and a woman?"

Next, he started spouting some nonsense about mutual respect, how she only hit him because she loved him, and other incomprehensible things, making Dean and Harry burst out laughing.

For a while, the bar was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

After a few rounds, seeing Lawrence getting tipsy, Dean gave Harry a look.

Harry quickly took the opportunity to ask, "Lawrence, buddy, why did you end up with a psychologist's ex-wife before?" This question had been nagging at Dean and Harry for a long time. They couldn't resist asking a drunk Lawrence to get it off their chests.

The burly and mighty Lawrence, upon hearing this, looked up as if recalling some unbearable past, and choked up, "Buddy, I was too young back then."

"At that time, I wasn't doing well on the wrestling team. I was so irritable that I wanted to curse at anyone I saw. My coach suspected I had developed a rage disorder from too much pressure and suggested I see a psychologist. That's how I met my ex-wife."

"So you really had a rage disorder?"

"No!" Lawrence took a swig of his drink and lamented. "My ex-wife asked me a ton of questions and finally told me I had no issues at all. The reason I was like that was simply a plain lack of manners."

PFFT.

Dean spat out his drink, too. He patted his chest, trying to recover from choking, and asked, "If that was the case, how did you win her over?"

"I asked her if there was anything that could cure my lack of manners, and she wanted me to participate in a study of hers. She told me if I completed the study, I would become more mature."

"And then?"

"She slept with me for a week. I couldn't handle it anymore and wanted to run away, but then she got pregnant."

Lawrence buried his face in his hands and cried, lamenting the loss of his youth.

Back then, he was so young and naive, and he met the wrong person. Poor Lawrence not only lost his innocence but also a great deal of his freedom, until his ex-wife lost interest in men and finally let him go.

Who would have thought Lawrence had such a past?

Awesome!

「The next day.」

Dean, Harry, and Lawrence lay scattered across the hotel room, sprawled out like corpses, when there was a loud bang.

The door was kicked open. At the same time, a stern and tense voice woke the three men up.

"FBI, open the door!"

Three burly men, clothes strewn all over the floor, wearing only their underpants, exchanged bewildered glances. Then, they all looked at the two armed FBI agents who had suddenly barged in. The scene descended into a wordless, deathly silence.

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